Borderline
by Maiden of the Heavens
Summary: The third installment to Ivy and Remy's story is here. Ivy starts her life at Xavier's Insititute for Gifted Youngsters, but of course life for her and Gambit is never easy, espiecally not with the discovery of the "Cure" looming over them and the other mutants. Set between X-2 and X-3: The Last Stand.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: ****The third installment of Remy and Ivy's story is here! But I am not writing this alone, I am joined by my friend Certh. So with two co-authors that means that any OCS either belong to me or Certh. We do not own X-men, just the idea for this story. -Maiden of the Heavens (MOTH) **

Chapter 1

The early afternoon sun shone hazily through gauzy clouds, bathing the Edwardian mansion and its grounds in a dull golden light. Somewhere a lone alarm bleeped quietly; the wrought-iron front gates swung inwards to admit the newcomer. Dragging along a suitcase on small wheels, the young woman made her way to the double doors at the end of the circular Xavier Institute was quieter than usual, but that was only natural. It was August after all and many of the students were enjoying their summer break with family and friends. Those less fortunate who had no supporting family to go back to stayed, and made up the majority of the small group currently occupying the mansion. The rest were bound to return soon, seeing that September and the beginning of classes were no more than two weeks away.A handful of teenagers of various ages were scattered in the courtyard facing the building, talking or otherwise keeping themselves occupied. One or two happened to look her way while she passed and called out friendly hellos, to which the woman waved and replied in was barely inside the foyer when the sound of feet stomping down the grand staircase caught her attention."Welcome back, Dr. Hemmett!" The boy paused on his way out, flashing her a grin."Thank you, Andrew," she spoke fondly to the eight-year-old. He was one of the youngest residents of the school, all because of a physical mutation that had manifested shortly after birth. Flat bony growths protruded from his forehead and cheekbones and more ran in clusters along his arms. "How was your summer?"The dark-haired boy shrugged his shoulders, suggesting nothing important had happened. He was about to return the question when a blond head peeked around the open door, cutting him off. He closed his mouth and turned to the young woman with an apologetic half-upturn of his lips. Then he ran outside after his stared after them for a moment, and then went to close the heavy oak doors."Morgan!"Her mahogany-chestnut ponytail swished with the movement as she turned on the spot to locate the voice. The African-American coming towards her was radiant as ever, but the long snow-white hair was shorter and sported deeper highlights. Storm embraced her lightly and drew back to take a better look at her former student."You seem to have been enjoying the Sicilian sun," she commented brightly, noting the natural pale olive complexion was several shades darker."Uh-huh," Morgan confirmed, brown eyes twinkling at the memory of the past month. "And I'm glad Mondello isn't the only beach in Palermo; it's unbelievably crowed there."

Born to an Italian mother, she had spent almost every summer of her childhood in the seaside capital of Sicily with her aunt's family, and had a good enough knowledge of the city to know which places to avoid. Storm took her word for it, smiling inwardly as the girl's voice shifted unconsciously to her inborn Italian accent at the right words.

"Did I miss anything here?" the twenty-four-year-old asked.

"Well," the weather controller started, "we're still short of a science teacher..." her words trailed off, a shadow passing over her face. Morgan understood; the events at Alkali Lake last spring were still an open wound. She herself had been truly distressed when she heard; it was Jean Grey who had introduced her to Xavier's school after all.

Storm drew a calming breath and continued, "The Professor asked Hank McCoy, but he hasn't been in touch yet. We do have a new staff member though. A botany teacher. Her name's Ivy."

The young adult raised a fine eyebrow. Botany was certainly a rather unusual part of a school's curriculum. She did look forward to meeting the new teacher though.

"Interesting," she voiced her thoughts in a single word. Storm looked sideways at the suitcase stood on the floor.

"I should let you unpack," she said. "You need rest after such a long journey. We will catch up later." With that promise she turned and her footsteps faded into the corridor. Morgan reached for the suitcase handle and walked the distance to the grand staircase. She eyed the steps tiredly, but decided she didn't really want to brave the mansion's elevator at the About an hour later she descended into the entrance hall again, having unpacked and taken a refreshing shower. She had changed into a deep cerulean off-the-shoulder-blouse and jeans, but her hair was once again in a ponytail. The many earrings in her ears glinted in the sunlight as she stepped outside onto the courtyard, not in the mood to stay indoors. The flight from Sicily to the States was indeed over-long and tiring, but the cool water on her skin had worked made for the lush gardens that expanded at the back of the mansion, feeling an inexplicable need to walk. Rounding a corner, her gaze fell on a clearly unhappy Logan. A second man was with him, and Morgan realized she didn't recognize the tall stranger. As she neared them, it became evident that it wasn't a casual friendly conversation they were having.

The Wolverine's back was partially turned towards her, but he was gesturing wildly with a cigar-holding hand; there was an expression of impatience and annoyance on his face.

As she approached, Morgan could make out fragments of his heated monologue: "... been through too much... she needs you, Gumbo... you're barely ever here for her..."

The younger man endured Logan's animated rant silently, arms crossed across his T-shirt-clad, muscled torso; eyes slightly narrowed, though he didn't directly meet the adamantium-clawed mutant's blazing stare. Then his gaze shifted, locking on Morgan, and she hesitated, startled. Only fractions of a heartbeat later Logan sensed the subtle change in the surrounding area and turned abruptly to locate the reason. One corner of his mouth half-lifted in what probably could be a grin.

"Hey, kid," he greeted the young woman with a nod, putting the argument she had cut short aside for the time being. "Where's your twin? I thought you were coming back together."

Morgan suppressed a little giggle at that. Her 'twin', as Logan called him, was one of her best friends, Dominic; a mutant and a musician. They were almost always together, hence the nickname.

"He's in Denmark," she answered, "had a concert."

As Wolverine acknowledged the reply and took a drag on his cigar, she turned her attention to the man the feral was with. In his late twenties most likely, tall, with a mop of brown hair that reached past his chin, he was looking at them with mild interest as they talked. And unknown to Morgan, just minutes before, forest green eyes had taken in everything about her appearance in a measured glance; a first quick appraisal of a soon-to-be acquaintance.

"This is Remy LeBeau," Logan provided when her focus shifted, his tone keeping something of the edge of the previous argument.

"Morgan Hemmett," the brunette started, holding out her hand. Instead of the customary handshake, the man touched her fingers and dropped a feather-light kiss on her knuckles, offering a low, _'Enchanté'_. He smiled charmingly as he looked up, meeting a stunned and more pink face. The gesture always had the same effect, he thought smugly to himself. In her brief daze Morgan barely noticed that his voice was accented with the distinct, easy-identifiable notes of the American South. By them, Wolverine nearly huffed at the Cajun's display of gentlemanly mannerism.

"Morgan's the physics teacher here," he said, but gave nothing on Remy's status.

"Oh?" the Cajun looked at her with renewed curiosity. "You're an X-Man then?"

At her nod of confirmation, a melody vibrated in the air, ringing louder when Morgan dug out a cell phone from her jeans back pocket. With a quick, 'Excuse me,' she flipped it open and began walking away. Behind her Logan and Remy were quiet for a few moments; then the Wolverine eyed the younger man and went on sharing his mind.

**A/N: ****As always please read and review! -Maiden of the Heavens (MOTH) **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: ****I am posting this chapter early because of a wedding I have to attend tomorrow. So Enjoy and review! -MOTH (Maiden of the Heavens) and Certh. **

Chapter 2

By the time she returned the phone into her pocket, Morgan realized she hadn't walked too far off. Although she couldn't see the two men because of the foliage around her, she could still hear their muffled voices in the background. She had come to a section of the mansion's gardens where it was mostly grass, a large rectangular space framed on all sides with shrubbery.

Tuning into her surroundings again, she stopped suddenly in her tracks at the end of the cobbled path that led into the secluded area. The change was positively striking.

A large greenhouse took up the majority of the grassy field, its vertical glass sides angling to a tapered roof to meet the sky. Intrigued by the elegant, awe-inspiring construction, she walked closer, curiosity getting the best of her. Turning the handle of the double doors, she found herself in a little paradise of foliage.

Nearly every inch housed green plants and flowers of an amazing variety, size and color. Some adorning the multitude of shelves, others sitting in earthen pots on the ground, third sprouting from the living soil. Climbing vines, budding plantlife, bonsai trees, slithering roots claimed the interior as their own, thriving in the sun that filtered from outside. A barely perceptible scent wafted above them, the pleasant product of the mixing of many individual soft aromas.

Morgan slowed her pace, looking about her almost reverently, unwilling to break the silence that reigned there. As she neared the far end of the sizable glasshouse, she saw a human figure standing by one of the multi-tiered shelves. Hidden as it were by all the greenery, the form had loomed unexpectedly close, unforeseen.

The woman appeared to be no older than Morgan, with spring-tight curls the color of dark chocolate caressing her shoulders. Her porcelain-white skin stood out, creating the impression of a fragile doll. A simple sleeveless dress in rich earthy hues flowed to her ankles, making her blend in perfectly with her environment. She was gazing lovingly at a healthy plant with midnight-purple flowers, the tips of slender fingers brushing the trailing leaves tenderly.

Feeling she was no longer alone in her sanctuary the woman's body tensed as she swerved fluidly to face Morgan. A pair of startlingly deep rose-pink eyes found her, but the look in them softened instantly, her countenance starting to relax. Her lips parted slightly and a lone hand rose as if to reach towards her timidly. In the veiling half-light cast on her by the shadow of a small tree, Morgan looked painfully familiar to her, like a cherished memory come out of the past. Then her expression turned dark in a flash, guarded. The phantom recognition became anger and hurt and fear; her stance a rigid defensive one. The pupils of her unusual eyes became cat-like slits, the half-extended arm pulling back and slashing the air in a harsh motion, fingers curled.

A dozen thin vines hurled themselves from their stationary post then, with deadly accuracy; a small pot fell from a high shelf and shattered on the ground. Morgan was slow to take in what was happening, slow to react. Her feet moved too late; the grasping stems snagged at her upper arm, branding her with pink-red lines. Sucking in a hissing breath through clenched teeth, she glanced bewildered at the other mutant, the stinging pain throbbing.

The woman's face was contorted with a million emotions, like a person fighting desperately for their lives with all their being, to the very end. But her eyes were unseeing, blinded by some nameless terror. The observation lasted only for a split second; Morgan didn't have the luxury to analyze that overall behavior as the woman's hands began weaving patterns in the air.

Thick roots lashed out from the ground like stiff snakes, upturning pottery and uprooting plants as they rose and plunged down. The assaulting appendages clashed against an unseen barrier that seemed to form a vaulting perimeter around a tense Morgan, the friction creating smooth distortion and a powder-blue flicker. Even though the impact was forceful enough to knock the offensive parts a few inches back, the earth manipulator didn't relinquish her control on her living weapons. Driven by high adrenaline and emotions, she held all of them suspended and brought them down again with wheezing speed.

Morgan threw both arms towards them; the roots froze in their rapid descent and hang twitching in mid-air. The earth elemental pushed more of her power at the gravitational field of her own offense that was now held against her, dark rose-pink eyes flashing. It was easier to push downward than upward, but as long seconds ticked by and nothing changed, she began to feel the strain in her muscles.

Likewise, Morgan fought to keep constant the strength of the force field she had toned down to avoid those hanging swords falling on her. It took much concentration; her breathing was becoming heavier and drops of perspiration were budding on her forehead and upper lip. She stumbled forward gracelessly, nearly meeting the hard soil when the calculated resistance to her own push vanished unexpectedly. Another pot smashed somewhere. The earth controller had changed tactics.

Eyes-as-slits focused on a point behind Morgan, arms stretched forward and downward. The living soil behind the twenty-four-year-old rose up at the command of its mistress, spidery shimmering strings connecting it to her fingertips. A tremor ran through the ground, traveling up the shelves nearby, causing all to shake uncontrollably and one to spill most of its contents noisily. A dense wall of dirt towered above Morgan just as she regained her balance, solidifying at a frighteningly fast pace. The Earth Puppeteer pulled her arms to her body; the brown formation started falling forward.

Panic gripped Morgan with ice-cold fingers and her mutation kicked in unconsciously, without even a semblance of previous thought. The electric field around her was amplified at once, the well-chosen increased charge repulsing the innate one of the soil. The rock-firm wall crashed on the defensive barrier with immeasurable force. Chunks of it ricocheted off and dust rained down hard on both mutants. The part that remained solid in one piece was held aloft by the invisible strings attaching it to the Earth Puppeteer's fingertips.

Before she could call upon her mutation once more, a streak of fuchsia light sailed through the air, going straight for the slab of earth. A bright explosion followed it and a torrent of broken soil fell heavily to its rightful place.

"Ivy!"

Remy's shout was followed by his running footsteps and he flew past Morgan, skidding to a halt by the earth elemental's side. The woman was startled by the booming sounds but otherwise unharmed. Even as the Cajun took both her hands in his, a mist still covered her sight. He brushed his fingers through her corkscrew tresses, ridding them of dirt, calling her name softly.

Eyes stinging from the flimsy hovering cloud of debris, Morgan coughed incessantly into one hand, her throat feeling so irritated she couldn't stop. Through a watery peripheral vision she made out Logan's figure by her, and soon felt a hand on her back.

"Come on," he said simply and turned her about firmly, nudging her gently to start walking. It was best to let the Southerner bring Ivy to herself, he had better chances. The feral cringed inwardly at the sight they had witnessed only moments before, still dumbstruck by the soft-spoken earth controller's sudden change of behavior. It was fortunate his heightened senses had picked up the commotion in the greenhouse when they did.

Slowly guiding an unresisting Morgan away, his acute hearing tuned to the pair behind them.

"_Ivy, c'est moi, c'est Remy. _-Ivy, it's me, it's Remy-" Remy crooned, lifting the earth elemental's chin gently and looking into her eyes. They were still hazy.

_"S'il te plaît, Petite Fleur_. -Please, Little Flower-" he pleaded, using the pet name he had given her so many years ago, desperate to get through to her. Something seemed to click in Ivy at that, because her glassy gaze cleared and her dark rose-pink eyes focused.

"Remy..." she started, meeting his forest green eyes questioningly.

"_Quoi... _-What...-" she stopped mid-sentence, a frightened look of realization making her eyes widen. Extracting herself from Remy's arms she ran towards the exit, every bit of levitating dust falling to the ground in her wake.

Breathless, she reached the slowly-advancing pair just outside the glasshouse, before they had gone too far. They turned, the Wolverine still supporting a spent Morgan.

"_Je suis vraiment... _-I am truly...-" she automatically began in French, but quickly reverted to English once she realized. She gulped precious oxygen, her unique eyes staying fixed on Morgan.

The twenty-four-year-old returned the stare without a word, too confused and unsure and tired to talk. What was she supposed to say? What was she supposed to feel after all that?

Ivy must have read her feelings, because she said no more, only looked at her with remorse. She truly was terribly sorry, and understood if her fellow mutant found it difficult to ever forgive her. It was a surprise when the young adult in front of her gave her a small nod, even though her expression was still dazed.

"Would you let me explain?" the Earth Puppeteer asked tentatively, feeling a bit lighter by the promising development. It was going to be neither an easy, nor a pleasant talk - in fact she would rather avoid it - but she felt an explanation was the least she could offer. Morgan nodded again, more lively and less foggy this time.

Ivy looked back at Remy who had appeared at the glasshouse entrance, listening while keeping his thoughts to himself. The faint grin on his lips meant only for her was reassuring. Logan walked silently by Morgan as they made towards the mansion, Ivy flanking her other side. The tidying up of her beloved greenhouse would have to wait, the Earth Puppeteer thought to herself.

**A/N: ****As Always, please read and review! -MOTH (Maiden of the Heavens)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: ****Okay, our fabulous readers and reviewers get ready to read a rather long but important long Author's note. Just to make things clear, neither Certh or I own X-men. But I own Ivy Dujardin, while Certh owns Morgan and Dominic. Please visit her profile as well and read her beautifully written stories about Morgan and Dominic. Now enjoy the new chapter! (Also after chapter four, I write the even chapters, while Certh writes the odd numbered chapters.) **

**-MOTH (Maiden of the Heavens) **

Chapter 3

Once they reached the inside of the mansion, a cold blast of air greeted them away from the last remaining heated days of summer. Wolverine set Morgan on her feet, making sure she was steady before fully releasing his hold on her.

"You sure you're okay, kid?" he asked, hiding his concern behind his normal gruff manner.

"I'll be fine," she replied, her voice a little on the rough side from choking on so much dust and dirt, making it sound like she had a frog in her throat. She tried desperately to clear it, and turned to look at the Earth Puppeteer from where Ivy had once stood next to Logan.

But Ivy was no longer there. Instead she was making her way up the staircase, with Remy beside her, their fingers lightly intertwined. Ivy turned to face Morgan, bits of dirt still raining down loose from her dark chocolate curls as she did.

"I figured it would be easier to explain in my own room. If you don't mind that is," she explained; her voice was soft, as if talking any louder than a little bit above a whisper would hurt.

"Not at all," the twenty-four-year-old said, a weak smile flittering across her features.

Ivy smiled back before making her way up the stairs once more. Her sandaled foot was almost on the fifth step, when the Cajun picked up around the waist and heaved her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Remy... I can walk on my own two feet," she said trying to disperse the laugh that threatened to burst from her mouth, but it was not any use.

A smug smile lit his face. "You're too slow, _Petite Fleur_."

Ivy pouted a little but only smiled at Morgan, shrugging helplessly as Remy finally set her on her feet in front of her door on the fourth floor. It dawned on the younger adult then that the earth controller, the school's botany teacher, was the person over whom Logan and Remy had been arguing earlier.

Ivy was about to open the door to her bedroom, when she realized that the Cajun and feral were standing at the railing that aligned the landing.

"Are you going to stand watch?" Morgan questioned jokingly when neither of them made a move to go on with their daily activities, voicing Ivy's thought aloud.

Wolverine only gave a curt nod, his arms folded across his chest, while Remy stood beside him, pulling a pack of cards from his deep black duster pocket.

"Just in case," was all he said, before he began to shuffle the cards. Apparently, they were serious. The two women shrugged.

The Earth Puppeteer let Morgan enter in first before closing the door behind them. Her queen-sized bed was covered in a light-green and white spread, four large pillows resting against the headboard. The bed was pushed a little bit underneath the windowsill, where two individual bundles of potted daises sat, slightly covered by the thin long white curtains that hung beside the large window.

Ivy stayed near her dresser while Morgan let her gaze drift from the potted plants on the windowsill to the ones hanging above the ceiling. One - dogwood flowers - a dull dusty pink, and the other - oleander - bright yellow and nearly shaped like open trumpets. Her eyes went from the ceiling to the wall, where large, old and slightly yellowed due to age circus posters hung in large picture frames.

There were two on each side of the dresser. The first one was a young girl - about ten - dressed in what looked like a dark black prima ballerina outfit with dark rose-pink stripes. With white face-makeup coating her face and black upside-down triangles on each sides of her eyes. She sat sideways in an open blood-red rose; written in curvy dark green letters, one below the rose and one above the girl, in both German and English was the name - Lady Blossom.

The second one was the same girl, the same dark chocolate curls framed her once-again white-painted face. This time rose petals were behind her back like angels wings, and sitting beside her in a crouched position was a boy that looked about twelve. His skin was a dark navy blue, almost black, his eyes a piercing gold; the most shocking thing, beside his pointed elf ears, was the devil tail that proceeded from his costumed behind. The caption written above in German was 'Der Unglaubliche Nightcrawler'; the one below was once again 'Lady Blossom'.

"You were in the circus?" Curiosity once more got the better of Morgan, at the moment the young adult not realizing that the blue mutant on the poster looked very familiar.

Ivy smiled at that and turned to look at her, her fingers stopping their caressing of the potted aloe she had on the dresser. "For a little while." Suddenly Ivy's face dropped in concern, her dark rose-pink eyes swimming with guilt. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Morgan automatically shook her mahogany-haired head, ponytail bouncing from side to side as she did. "No, you didn't." She had only given her an adrenaline rush.

"Good." Ivy sat down on the bed, smoothing the wrinkles out of her dress. "The reason... I attacked you is because... you look..." Ivy swallowed hard, trying to push away the tears that wanted to spill. She still felt guilt squeezing around her heart, after all these years.

"You looked..." she corrected after a pause to compose herself, "like my sister, Aster."

Morgan stayed silent, listening, suddenly wanting to comfort the earth elemental that looked so close to tears. She spoke after Ivy did not for awhile. "What happened to her?"

Tears slipped past Ivy's eyes then, but she did not bother to wipe them away on her hand. "I was forced to kill her... it was either my life, or hers. Stryker had her under his control, and I couldn't leave Remy... but I couldn't leave Aster like that either." The tears fell on her summer dress like rain.

"William Stryker was an evil man." Her voice was bitter as she spoke of the mutant hunter. "Using mutants like puppets for his own gain... even his own son. He captured Remy and I, held us there for two years... it would have been longer if Remy hadn't thought of a way to escape. Tortured both of us, blindfolded me and bound my hands... I can't sleep without a nightlight in my room now." Ivy took a deep breath to calm herself, and tore her gaze away from her clenched hands on her lap to Morgan's stunned face.

"I didn't attack you only because I thought you were Aster. I attacked you, because I thought you were going to drag me back to him. I'm sorry, if the circumstances had been different and you had not snuck up on me, I probably wouldn't have," she continued to explain, before stopping to let what she had said take hold on the much younger mutant.

"It's alright, no harm was done," Morgan said and finally managed a little smile. "The name's Vector," she provided as an afterthought, surprising herself by actually offering her codename instead of her birth name as she usually would have done.

Ivy smiled back and righted herself from the cushiony comfort of her bed, "Gaia."

The Earth Puppeteer sighed, just now noticing Remy's luggage along side his normal sleeping area of the bed. She would not even bother to ask him how long he was going to stay; it would only hurt more. Her fingers grasped the door handle and looked back at her fellow female mutant.

"I am really hoping they didn't kill each other."

Morgan gave the earth elemental a puzzled look, unable to tell by her tone if she was serious or just teasing.

When Ivy opened the door and stepped back out into the hall, Remy and Wolverine were still in the same position, both ignoring each other.

The Cajun glanced up, forest-green eyes meeting dark rose-pink. He slid his pack of cards back into the pocket of his duster, and gently wiped the tears off of Ivy's cheeks with his hand, since she had even forgotten she had begun to cry earlier.

"You still have dirt in your hair," he said softly, his eyes beginning to suggest something that made Ivy's face burn red as he started to pull on the knot at the back of her neck that held her dress up properly.

Logan growled low at this, but Remy simply ignored him. Morgan just watched silently in sheer amusement, fighting to hide a smile that threatened to tug at the corners of her lips.

Ivy took Remy's hand in her own, and pulled it away from the knotted fabric. "Not now," she said sternly. "I'm going go fix up my greenhouse."

"I can help you if you want," Morgan volunteered, trying to help the Earth Puppeteer get out of the awkward moment.

Ivy glanced over her shoulder at her and smiled. "I would appreciate it."

She was about to loosen her grip on Remy's hand, but instead he squeezed it softly.

"_Alors, plus tard, Petite Fleur. _-Later then-"

"_Peut-être. _-Maybe-" The Earth Puppeteer replied and finally released her hand, heading down the staircase, Morgan at her heels.

The Cajun was about to head into Ivy's bedroom to unpack when he was slammed into the wall, Wolverine's adamantium claws at his throat, nearly piercing the skin. Logan had made sure that both of the female mutants were outside before he had bother to attack Remy.

"Listen, Gumbo." he snarled, menacingly, "you do anything to hurt Ivy, and it's gonna be your head."

Remy sneered, "Oh, it's not like we haven't done it before." He grinned as Logan pulled his arm back in order to swipe them at him, hoping to lop off his head.

The Cajun easily ducked out of the way and made his way into Ivy's bedroom, Wolverine's claws meeting with the wall instead.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Morgan crouched below Ivy, re-potting one of the bonsai trees while the Earth-Puppeteer worked on fixing one of the broken tiered shelves.

"You're from Québec?" she asked abruptly, something finally clicking, albeit late. Thinking back, she was now able to place Ivy's accent as French-Canadian, something she had missed earlier.

The Earth Puppeteer made her way half down, from the ladder she was using as Morgan handed her the Bonsai tree. "Yes, I lived with my grandmother for a bit." She placed the plant onto its rightful place, next to the other three.

"I was raised in Toronto, but an old school friend there was from Québec," Morgan provided, and started putting a flower back into its home.

"Still impressive that you knew," Ivy commented and was back on the ground level of the greenhouse. Her eyes became cat-like slits as she moved soil from its place in the open bag to the empty clay pots, thin strings from the tips of her fingers connected to the soil.

The younger mutant shrugged. "I guess it's a rather identifiable accent, for someone who's heard it before, at least," she offered non-commitally, sending a tendril of her power towards a particularly heavy pot. The container, fallen on its side but miraculously not broken, hovered a couple of inches above the ground, making it easier for her to handle and set back down properly.

"How did you and Remy escape Alkali Lake?" she asked, hoping she was not pressing into matters that would make the Earth Puppeteer uncomfortable.

Ivy stopped the soil she was controlling in mid-air, inches away from the pot it was going to go in. Evidently, she had not been clear when she had been explaining before. "We did not escape from there. We escaped Three Mile Island."

Feeling downright silly that she had misunderstood the Earth Puppeteer's previous account, Morgan knew her cheeks were hot. Then her eyes widened when the words sunk in. That could only mean that this 'Three Mile Island' was the same facility where Stryker had given Logan his claws. She had heard those bits of the Wolverine's story that he could remember. But all that had taken place a little over fifteen years ago.

She looked at Ivy with disbelief. "But... then..." she stammered, "that means you're about forty."

The earth manipulator only nodded in response, and placed the soil into its destination.

"You look too young to be that old_,_" Morgan stated, but not unkindly.

Ivy only started laughing, nearly losing control of the next lump of soil she had under her command. The younger female mutant looked down at the flower cupped in her hands as realization struck her. Stryker had done something to Remy and Ivy to rabidly slow down their aging process.

But was it a blessing, or a curse?

**A/N: As usual, please review! They make our lives feel like bundles of sunshine. -Maiden of the Heavens (MOTH) and Certh. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: ****Welcome to chapter four of Borderline! I am updating early, because I have been so crazy-busy I was afraid I was going to forget to update tomorrow. Plus I am posting the last chapter of Wasser Puppe tomorrow. Nuts, I know. Anyways, I do not own X-men. But my fabulous co-author, Certh owns Morgan and Dominic, and I own Ivy and other OCS that may appear. So please go check out Certh's profile and read her awesome X-men stories with Dominic and Morgan. Enjoy the chapter! -Maiden of the Heavens (MOTH)**

Chapter 4

Ivy's skin felt greasy, grimy, absolutely disgusting. Dirt clung to it, mixing with the perspiration. The greenhouse had felt like a sauna, and no matter how much she adored her beloved plants and other foliage, she could not stand the muggy, felt-like-breathing-through-wet-cotton air that consumed it.

Even when she had stepped into the air conditioning of the mansion, it had not helped. Her summer dress was nearly clinging to her, as if it was a second skin. She took the steps two at a time, the shower that adjoined with her bedroom beckoning to her.

She wanted the water icy cold, to get the sick feeling of sweat off her skin. She was about to gather a pair of light pajamas when she realized the sun was nearly setting - she had not noticed that almost a whole day had gone by while herself and Morgan had been repairing the greenhouse to its former glory. What she did notice was that one of Remy's suitcase was wide open.

Placing the pajamas back in their rightful spot in the drawer, she snatched up one of the Cajun's long sleeved shirts. Button down, and white, with light blue stripes.

Ivy made her way into the bathroom, slipping out of her sandals as she did. She turned on the lights and the fan above her head, as it whirred in reply. She set the 'borrowed' shirt on the bathroom counter near the sink and set the shower, blasting with icy cold water. Her fingers reaching for the knot against her neck, the knot that held up her summer dress.

The Earth Puppeteer pulled and tugged on the strings, trying desperately to loosen it. But to no avail. The knot was supposed to keep Remy from performing the normal act of removing her attire, not herself! She sighed in defeat, and jumped in shock when she felt a pair of familiar fingers easily getting through the barrier she thought she had formed so well.

His breath tickled her ear as he whispered, smugness coating the words. "Who's the thief now?" His forest green eyes had easily found his shirt lying on the sink counter.

"Remy..." She tried to speak, but the words she had wished to speak to him stopped. The dress slipped away from her body, and her face flared red. She automatically wrapped one around her chest, and turned to look at him.

"Get out, I'm not decent." She said, trying to sound demanding, but the words came out in a nervous squeak.

"I wouldn't say that..." Remy crooned, his New Orleans accent nearly making her melt where she stood. Damn it.

His gaze did not lift from the full-blown view he had of her uncovered skin, and her face would not stop being red, and now her heart was thudding in her chest, so hard. She was afraid it would burst through.

Ivy tried to push him out through the open door, but her muscles hurt too much, and he was not budging in the least. Instead Remy kissed her neck, and while earning several giggles from the feather-light smooches he was giving her, he removed her arm from where it covered her chest, and placed it along his still fully buttoned shirt.

The Earth Puppeteer's slender fingers began to unbutton it as he began to do the same with his jeans, boots and socks already kicked free somewhere in her bedroom. He was going to join her, whether she wanted him to or not.

Then again, she wanted him, needed him to. She missed his touch, his kisses. Even the way he was able to get what he wanted out of her, without having to try very hard to get it. Besides... she thought with a new blush forming as his tongue found her mouth, and began exploring the inside, their tongues finding each other as they stepped into the shower, the icy water greeting them... It was not like they that had not done this before.

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The handle to the cold water squeaked to a stop, a couple of droplets still plopping down from the showerhead. Ivy now donned Remy's white and blue stripped shirt, rushing a towel through her chocolate-brown curls. She let the towel lay atop her head as she began to button it up.

Remy's hands found hers, and gently pushed them out of the way so he could do it for her. The Earth Puppeteer's gaze lifted to try to see his face, but the towel worked as a curtain, shielding her from seeing any farther than his collarbone.

"Just keep dryin' your hair, I got this," he said and buttoned it enough so none of her womanly body parts would be exposed; she was practically swimming in it.

Ivy let the towel fall to the floor instead, and let her face rest against his chest so she could hear his heartbeat.

"I missed you so much," she murmured, and felt Remy's hand grasp hers as he led her out of the bathroom.

"Missed you too, ___Petite Fleur__," _he replied and got onto the bed, taking a box of playing cards off of the nightstand.

Sitting cross-legged, he began to shuffle them as Ivy crawled onto the bed beside him and lay down, placing her head on his black pajama bottom clad thigh, watching him beginning to play solitaire.

"Why have you been gone so much?" she questioned, watching his hands move with ease and speed as a finished line of cards were gathered into his hand and placed in a stack.

"It's a secret," Remy said in return and let his hand brush through her hair for a second, before going back to the game.

"Am I going to like the reason for this secret?" Ivy almost demanded, and was about to push herself to a sitting position.

"Perhaps," he said and bent down to kiss her temple.

It was his turn to ask a question as he sent another finished line to the done stack. "Don't ya trust me, ___Petite Fleur__?_"

Ivy could feel her heart squeezing and her chest beginning to hurt. She should not even have to think about it, the answer should have been an automatic yes. But no, the reasons for saying no swarmed in her mind. He was gone a lot, months at a time. He never called her, and if she did call him, he never called her back right away. Did she trust him? The answer her mind and heart were giving her made her sick to the pit of stomach.

Her fingers curled into the fabric of his pajama bottoms. "I... trust you..." she lied and could almost feel tears forming in the edge of her eyes. But instead of getting up and running out of her own room, she stayed where she was and let her eyes finally shut as the Cajun stopped playing solitaire and turned on the small television that was against the wall, facing the bed. His fingers combing through her hair.

"I love you," he said softly and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"I love you too," she replied and let her dark rose-pink eyes open in order to watch whatever movie was playing on the television, with him.

**A/N: So now please go review! And I will update again next saturday! -Maiden of the Heavens (MOTH**)


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here is chapter five of Borderline, written by my lovely co-author Certh. As always we do not own X-Men, just the idea for this story and our OCS. –Maiden of the Heavens (MOTH)**

Chapter 5

The Xavier Institute's resident physics teacher sat herself on the double bed, wrapped in a white bath towel, running another through dripping hair. She let her eyes drift close for a brief while, relishing the feel of clean air from the slightly-open window on her bare skin and the cottony softness of the fabric around her torso.

Her preferences had always lain with crisper weather; during the couple hours she had spent in the school's new greenhouse earlier, helping Ivy to clean and fix it up, her limit of heat tolerance had been surpassed by far. After the stifling warmth, the fresh air of outdoors was most welcoming, but for some reason made her all the more aware of the state she was in. The dirt in her hair she had more or less managed to shake out, but the light sheen of sweat still clung to her.

Once on the third floor of the four-and-a-half-storey mansion - staff quarters - she had said goodbye to Ivy, and made straight for her own bedroom and its adjoining bathroom further down the hall. The frigid water running down her body had felt wonderful, and she had purposefully let that second shower last much longer than usual.

Currently wringing out the extra water from her wet hair, Morgan jumped at the tinny ringing that pierced the quiet. She set the towel she had been using on her bare knees and reached for the cell phone on the small nightstand. Reading the new text message her face brightened and she set to texting back.

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The mansion was silent and dark when she finally left her room, slightly damp and wavy hair hanging loose. Outside the twilight had long melded into night and grown colder, but inside was comfortably cool. Temperature-wise, the brown shorts and khaki T-shirt she had donned were just right.

A whole day had flown by more quickly than she had thought possible, and only the complaints of her stomach made her realize she had actually missed dinner. What other plans she had previously made for the day - going to see the Professor and catching up on the news - were postponed until morning when she noticed the actual lateness of the hour. It was past bedtime, for the mansion's young residents at least.

For the moment Morgan was just heading to the kitchen, intent on foraging in the double fridge.

She wasn't surprised when she saw light issuing from the open kitchen door - in this school, someone was always bound to be up, no matter what time it was. Walking in, she found Katherine Pryde sitting at the kitchen island, in butterfly-patterned pajamas and a scruffy ponytail; a round cake pan and a half-full plate in front of her. The teenager looked up from her apple pie, fork in hand.

"Hey, Morgan," the seventeen-year-old greeted her before she could do the same, not in the least surprised to see her. Which wasn't really unexpected. The young adult returned the hello and looked at the pie.

"Raiding the fridge?"

Kitty nodded her dark head in a conspiratorial manner, and pointed at the shallow pan with her fork. "Want some?"

Morgan eyed the dessert long, and the vanilla ice-cream on top. Her stomach would prefer something lighter first, though. "Maybe later." She went to the fridge and opened it, and then the cupboards, scouring their contents.

"Had a good summer?" Shadowcat inquired as the twenty-four-year-old carried her load to the counter by the sink and got busy.

"Perfect," Morgan replied, reflexively turning to look at her, a knife held loosely in her hand. "How was yours? Did you decide about college?" She slipped into teacher mode. Kitty, Rogue, Bobby, Peter and the others of their class had graduated that summer, and were already preparing for the next stage in their life and education. Scoring excellent grades, Kitty had been accepted in various universities across the country, but had some trouble settling on where to go, up until Morgan left for her summer vacation at any rate.

"Summer was alright," the teenager started, "spent most of it in the pool." She smiled thinly. "And... I decided to go back to Illinois for college, you know, be closer to home." She looked at her friend and former physics teacher with big brown eyes.

Accepting a previous offer from Charles Xavier, Morgan had come back to stay and teach at the Institute after getting her PhD - coincidentally following the events at Alkali Lake - and had taken over the Professor's post as resident physics teacher, since he had taken upon himself the task of teaching Jean's classes until a replacement was found.

She proved to be a good tutor; since her own mutation was essentially a vivid application of physics, her classes were animated and fairly easy to understand. For those few students - including Kitty herself and Bobby - who had known her personally from before, getting the hang of calling her by her doctoral title in class had definitely been entertaining.

Presently Morgan, who had gone back to her chopping in the mean time, swerved around and placed the bowl in her hands on the kitchen island, sitting across from Kitty. She half-nodded in acknowledgment to the girl's answer to her last question. "That's nice. You'll be doing something you like and be near your parents at the same time." Shadowcat was one of those lucky young mutants who had their parents' full support even after their mutant powers manifested.

"So... we heard you met the new teacher," the teenager changed the subject, stabbing another piece of apple pie. Of course, Morgan thought, all kinds of news traveled extremely fast at Xavier's.

"I did," she said, dipping a fork in her tuna-and-croutons salad, and bringing it to her mouth. She didn't know how much of her encounter with the earth manipulator had leaked out, but knowing that the school had many ears and eyes, and most importantly useful mutant powers, Morgan could guess that would be pretty much all of it, in general lines at least.

She chewed thoughtfully, recalling all the things Ivy had shared with her. "She's an... intriguing individual," the young adult added after she had swallowed, in lack of the right words. She forked her salad again.

The sounds of a clear, poignant guitar solo filled the kitchen, catching both female mutants by surprise. Morgan produced her phone from a pocket as Kitty tried to hide a yawn. A small smile touched Morgan's lips when she saw the caller ID. Taking in the time, she shook her head to herself, still grinning. Across from her Kitty decided she couldn't keep her eyes open much longer and got up, gathering the cake pan and plate with another muffled yawn. She offered a hushed, 'I'm going to bed,' as Morgan took the call, returning the pan into the fridge and putting the plate in the sink before leaving.

**A/N: As always, please leave a review. –Maiden of the Heavens (MOTH) **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Okie dokie fellow X-Men fanatics who have been kindly reviewing mine and Certh's story, here is chapter six. As always we do not own X-men, but we both own any OCS. –Maiden of the Heavens (MOTH)**

Chapter 6

It was the annoying bleeping of an alarm clock that woke Morgan up the next morning. Still half-asleep after a full minute of the incessant ringing in her ears, she reached blindly for the electronic offender to turn it off. Knowing she would most likely fall back asleep if she didn't get up immediately, the twenty-four-year-old forced herself to climb out of bed.

Drowsiness fought bravely against her will; and it was all because of the all-nighter she had pulled. Dominic had certainly been in a good mood when he called her from Denmark, even though it was well after midnight there. If they hadn't talked so long on the phone she wouldn't be nodding now.

Her sleepy mind blaming him, Morgan headed to her personal bathroom, intent on waking up for good.

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The ceramic mug was slightly warm in her hands as her feet led her through the school's empty halls. Pajamas swapped for a three-quarter sleeve shirt and dark jeans, hair loose on her shoulders, her stride purposeful, Morgan knew she didn't want to stay inside. The sun was blazing through an opening in the inky and white clouds in the sky; the morning was pleasantly hot, as if summer itself clung to some tropical warmth.

Walking farther and farther away from the kitchen where she had initially intended to have her coffee, the young adult found herself stepping outside on the long terrace that faced the grounds behind the Xavier mansion. Storm was there, elegant as always in her airy blouse and linen pants, her back turned against the building, looking off into the distance. Morgan walked towards her, the clicking of her black Mary-Janes on the hard floor causing the weather controller to swerve around.

"Good morning," the white-haired mutant was quick to offer the first greeting, meeting with a like response. Reaching her, the twenty-four-year-old placed her mug on the stone balustrade and turned to Ororo.

"So, summer... how was it?" She flattened her hands on the cool surface, pushing herself up to twist round and sit on the rail as she spoke. A small grin touched the African-American's lips briefly when Morgan looked down at her from her new perch, the glint in her former student's eyes suddenly reminiscent of a carefree eleven-year-old.

"It was nothing special, but it was relaxing," Storm started, glad at the opportunity to share news with her.

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They ended up losing track of time while the weather-witch recounted how she spent her summer holidays, Morgan listening and commenting accordingly. It was the sun climbing in the sky that made Ororo pause longer at the end of a sentence, glancing up at the golden orb for an instant and then hurriedly consulting the elegant watch adorning her wrist.

"We should get going." She met the younger woman's eyes, who agreed wordlessly and hopped down from her vantage point, gathering her empty mug from the balustrade.

A brief stop to the kitchen later, they made their way to Charles Xavier's office. Rapping curtly on the closed doors twice, they let themselves in, knowing they were expected. The Professor himself was seated behind his desk, looking immaculate in his day suit; Logan hovered by the large window, arms crossed; Ivy and Remy sat side by side in a plush sofa, close to each other. After good mornings were exchanged, the newcomers found themselves seats, Storm occupying an empty chair by the coffee table and Morgan making herself comfortable in a leather armchair.

A couple minutes later the door creaked open again to admit Scott Summers, who closed it firmly behind him and stood by it. Subtly acknowledging those present in the room, he looked expectantly at the headmaster behind his red-tinted visor.

It had been Professor Xavier's idea of course, that teaching staff assemblage. What with the beginning of term being a mere two weeks away, it was none to soon to hand out course requirements and lists of students attending each class. The teaching X-Men had to begin making ready for the new school year.

The decision to call up a staff meeting had been made the previous night at dinner - the young physics teacher's return to the mansion brought with it the realization that summer was indeed nearing its end. Having missed that evening meal, Morgan was informed about the upcoming event by means of a yellow post-it note stuck to her bedroom door, printed in Storm's flowing handwriting. Having also missed dinner, the new botany teacher was told about the approaching meeting by a more direct source - Remy.

Presently, the room fell quiet, and all eyes were on the school's founder. He looked at his X-Men.

"Now that we are all here, we can begin," he started and then paused for a nanosecond, as though suddenly remembering something. He turned ever-so-smoothly to the school's newest staff addition. "Ivy, I believe you have met Dr. Morgan Hemmett, our physics teacher."

The woman graced him with a minute upturn of her lips and an affirmation, realizing for the first time that up until now she hadn't known said physics teacher's name. "Yes, I have." There was no doubt that the telepath had knowledge of the introductory encounter between herself and the younger female, but he made no attempt whatsoever to display or comment on it.

"Well then," Charles Xavier started again, getting back to the matter at hand, "the new school year is to begin shortly and I am sure you will all want to get on with lesson-planning. Therefore, you will be needing these." He reached for a neat stack of red ring binders that rested on one edge of his desk, bringing them in front of him. "Revised course requirements and lists of the students attending your classes, both old and new." Lifting the front cover of every binder, he threw a quick glance at their first page and gave each to the corresponding teacher.

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One by one, the X-Men filed out of Charles Xavier's office, binders in hand, going their separate ways. Gambit was the last to reach the double doors, his own hands empty, but the telepath wheeled behind him as he stepped into the wide corridor.

"You know you are always welcome to help Logan with Physical Education or in the Danger Room whenever you are here, Remy," the headmaster offered earnestly as a pair of green eyes met his own. He had already proposed work to the younger man before, but Remy - not being the type to linger in a place too long - had politely refused. He did the same this time, inclining his head to show he appreciated the offer, and smiled thinly.

Ivy was waiting for him just a bit down the hall, her pale arms wrapped around the red thin binder, corkscrew curls caress the sienna-brown long blouse she wore, paired with a black belt, leggings and ballet flats. Her eyes were on Remy as he made towards her, the Professor retreating into his office.

"I'll only be a minute, _petite_, I forgot something upstairs," the Cajun said, leaning to press a light kiss to her lips. Then he turned on his heel and was off to the upper floors.

The Earth Puppeteer watched his back for a moment and started walking along the hall in the same direction. A loud noise, almost resembling some sort of gunshot made her start, her steps faltering to a halt. Thin veils of indigo-purple smoke fanned out in the foyer at the end of the corridor, further down from where she stood, but to her surprise there was a solid figure in their midst. She felt her eyes bulge in their sockets, her heart taking up a wild rhythm. Could it be? Lips almost parting, she took hesitant steps forward, her brow creased slightly.

It was definitely a man standing there in the entrance hall, with dark blue skin and a demonish tail. His back was to her, and he didn't seem to notice that she was only a score of paces behind him.

"Kurt?" she questioned with wide dark rose-pink eyes. The teleporter turned to face her, crouched on all fours. His only reply was silence.

"_Im Münchner Zirkus sie hieβen der Unglaubliche Nightcrawler, warst du nicht?_ -In the Munich Circus you were called the Incredible Nightcrawler, weren't you?-" she easily slipped into her first native tongue.

"_Woher wissen sie das?_ -How do you know that?-" he demanded, slightly panicking, even though it shouldn't have been any surprise that she knew. He told everybody that when he met them, but he had not met _her_ yet. Realization dawned on him, his golden orbs filling with both shock and happiness.

"Ivy?"

The Earth-Puppeteer only smiled and did a mock bow to him, like they used to do after their act was finished. The acrobatic duo of the Incredible Nightcrawler and Lady Blossom was back together again.

"_Sie nenne euch nicht Dame Blüte hier, nicht war?_ -They do not call you Lady Blossom here, do they?-" he asked with a smirk, remembering the days that they had shared, living the lives of circus performers.

Ivy shook her head, her dark chocolate curls bouncing back and forth as she did. "_Nein, Professor Xavier gab mir der Deckname Gaia._-No, Professor Xavier gave me the codename Gaia-"

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Remy descended the staircase in a hurry, looking left and right as he reached the first floor. He set off into a corridor lined with tall windows, his steps quick, nearly brushing against Morgan who just came down from another flight of stairs.

"Have you seen Ivy?" the Cajun mutant asked without delay.

"No, I haven't," the twenty-four-year-old replied, remembering to breathe again after the near collision. She was about to say something when her gaze became fixed somewhere outside the window, and she couldn't help the tiny grin that pulled at her lips. "Look at that," she addressed Gambit, not shifting her attention. He followed her line of sight and, frowning, closed the distance between himself and the window.

The earth controller was spinning through the air, her body in a perfectly horizontal position as two blue hands held her high up, on either side of her waist. Her arms were stretched out like wings and she was laughing as she twirled, her dark hair flying in the wind that her momentum created. But Remy's eyes were presently on the man that held her, and they narrowed as a sudden feeling of possession washed over him.

He went to the door that led outside and opened it, but instead of walking onto the lawn, he leaned against the door-frame, watching, his features still pinched. Ivy was now caught bridal-style in the odd-looking mutant's arms, still giggling. The Cajun shot upright as she was tossed into the air, but the Earth Puppeteer had already gone into a fluid back somersault, pulling her knees close to her body as her hips bent, and then straightened and landed on her feet as surely as a cat. Remy raised an eyebrow in a Logan-like manner, impressed. Then, he remembered the blue-skinned mutant.

"Who is that?" he asked as Morgan came to stand beside him, trying to make his tone sound curious instead of distrustful.

"Kurt Wagner, Nightcrawler," the physics teacher answered, absently crossing her arms in front of her chest. "He's been with us since Alkali Lake." She let her last words fade into silence and simply watched the pair on the lawn as the German mutant crouched down, allowing Ivy to clamber lithely onto his shoulders. It was only moments ago that it dawned on Morgan that Kurt was indeed the mutant boy depicted in that poster Ivy had in her room. Even his name had been written there, but drowned in German words as it were, she hadn't taken in what it spelled.

Remy didn't offer a sign of acknowledgment to the reply he got, thinking similar thoughts to Morgan's. Ivy had mentioned her circus partner's name before, and now he had a face to go with it. He kept his eyes glued on them as his girlfriend lifted one leg in a 180° arc to a split position, pressing it to her body with a sole arm. Steadily, the blue mutant supporting her weight turned in a quarter of a circle, facing in the opposite direction where Gambit and Morgan stood. He opened his arms widely and fell forward. In perfect synchronization, both Nightcrawler and Ivy went for a dive roll in mid-air, completing their rotation as their backs barely touched the ground and got to their feet smoothly.

They whipped around after that, grinning at each other like children, and only then noticed Remy and Morgan watching them.

"Morgan, _guten tag,_" Kurt noticed the young woman first and greeted her with a big smile and a heavily accented voice, two fang-like canines showing in the process. Ivy had already left the teleporter's side as they walked to the other pair, going straight to Remy.

"Kurt, this is Remy," she introduced the Cajun, her fingers snaking their way through his, her expression warm and loving. There were tiny beads of perspiration clinging to her hairline, caused by the midday sun and exercise.

"_Hallo,_" the blue mutant responded simply.

"That was quite an impressive performance, Petite Fleur," Gambit commented, replaying in his mind the Earth Puppeteer's graceful stability and flexible body. He had never actually seen her pull off such stunts. She just smiled up at him.

"Now you," Kurt suddenly turned his brilliant amber eyes towards Morgan, an almost mischievous twinkle in them. Taken aback, the twenty-four-year-old blinked and stared at him mutely. "_Bitte_?" Nightcrawler pleaded when no response came. "I've never seen you do something before."

The physics teacher still stared at him for a long moment. Then, obviously deciding it wouldn't hurt to oblige, she gathered up her hair with a hair clip as she walked onto the lawn, handed her cell phone to him and jumped up. Her hips bent as her body began flipping backward, arms and legs kept straight, fingertips brushing her feet momentarily before the rotation was complete. Her feet hit the ground with a loud thud, the impact making her stumble a couple steps.

"Hmm, seems I can still pull it off," she mumbled to herself, flexing her feet to ease the lingering ache. She looked at Nightcrawler, drawing in oxygen. "Good enough?" The blue mutant gave her a satisfied smile that once again revealed his fangs, tail swishing leisurely behind him. Reclaiming her phone from Kurt, she turned to Ivy and Remy. "Lunch?"

**A/N: Okay, so please review and tell Certh and me what you thought of this chapter. I will upload the next chapter soon. **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Here it is, Chapter seven! As always Certh and I would like to thank you for all of your support. We do not own X-men, only our own OCS and the plot for this story. –Maiden of the Heavens (MOTH)**

Chapter 7

Grey storm clouds heavy with rain covered the afternoon sun as the four of them sat in the kitchen. At the moment Nightcrawler was trying to get Ivy to tell the story about Arnold the alligator while they sat on stools around the island.

The Earth Puppeteer simply shook her head at the teleporter's current request, corkscrew curls swaying as did. She stabbed a piece of a shrimp that was in her pasta noodles and nibbled at it, trying to ignore the puppy-dog eyes that Kurt was giving her.

"I do not feel like reliving any memories involving that psychotic reptile," she muttered after finishing the piece of seafood, now twirling noodles around on the metal utensil.

Unfortunately she left any other thing that involved Arnold the Alligator from her and Kurt's lives in the circus out of the conversation, while she reminisced about the fifteen years that she had lived with Remy in Louisiana. The Cajun sat beside her, adding in details when he needed to, or rather felt like he needed to. The kind of details that left Ivy's face to burn red, and Nightcrawler to chuckle at. The teleporter excused himself shortly after he was done with his sandwich, saying something about helping Storm with some task or other, leaving the near sound of a gun going off and a cloud of indigo smoke behind.

Once their meal was over, Ivy left Morgan sitting in the living room area of the school, going over her class schedule, while the earth elemental mutant stood in front of Remy at the entrance doors. He held a single suitcase in his hand.

"How long will you be gone?" Ivy questioned, her fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt as she began to inch onto the tips of her toes.

The Cajun smiled gently and kissed her on the mouth, long and lovingly. "Only for tonight. I'll be back in the morning in time to join you for breakfast and to help you set up your class lessons, if you haven't already finished."

"Promise?" the Earth Puppeteer asked, her dark rose-pink eyes begging for an answer.

Gambit nodded and kissed her again. "I promise."

Ivy watched as he left until she couldn't see his car anymore, and then joined her fellow teacher in planning lessons for the next month. A drizzle of rain began to shine on the window panes in the living room area as she sat down beside Morgan and opened up her own binder. The clock ticked by the hours and minutes at a snail's pace, when the Earth Puppeteer shut her red binder and buried her face in her hands, sighing out of frustration.

She couldn't concentrate when Gambit left, the fears and nightmares beginning to dig their way out of the back of her memories. She barely slept when he was not there with her, and the toll of only having one good night's sleep in a little over two months was starting to wear on her.

"I'm sorry..." Ivy said softly, standing up suddenly and walking out of the room before Morgan could say anything in reply. She left out of the back door of the mansion without a saying a word on where she was going.

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The summer storm that had been brewing gently during that late afternoon had only grown worse since the sky had darkened and night had fallen. The tempest outside nearly rattled the windowpanes of Xavier's Institute, thunder rumbling above and lighting flashing in the sky, the rain pelting the windows with an almost eerie vengeance.

Morgan had retreated to her bedroom for the night, but the single lamp on the nightstand still glowed. She was curled up comfortably under the sheets, back sinking into the soft pillow that was propped against the headboard, the book in her hands helping to drown out the unfriendly weather outside. She flinched abruptly, her breath catching in her throat as the school's front doors were slammed open out of the blue, the loud bang resounding throughout the place.

Frowning even though her heart hadn't stopped racing yet, the physics teacher put aside the paperback tome and rushed from her room out onto the landing, still in her pajamas. In unison, Storm and Logan also hurried out of their respected bedrooms to see who the intruder was.

She was kneeling in a shallow puddle on the floor, the mass of rain water nearly pond-sized. Her long dark-chocolate hair hung dripping wet, obscuring the view of her face, the short honey-yellow sun dress soaked to her as if it was a second skin.

As the three mutants reached the last step of the staircase and walked into the entryway, they noticed that the unannounced visitor was cradling someone close to her chest with one arm. The sun dress she wore had large red stains on it, and the water below where she was kneeling was slowly turning pink.

Morgan's pupils dilated as she recognized who the unknown female was holding. Ivy lay limp, shallow and pained breathing coming from her chest, several of what appeared to be stab wounds flooded with the precious life-sustaining liquid of her body. Her eyes were half-closed and clouded over in agony, her slender fingers clutching onto a handful of her savior's hair that was the exact same color as her own.

Before impulse made Morgan run to the earth controller's side, the one holding Ivy slowly let her gaze lift away from where it was. She met the physics teacher's more-than-stunned expression with narrowed sea-green eyes that flashed for a mere moment before becoming cat-like slits. The sheer intensity of that stare rooted the twenty-four-year-old to the floor.

After gently laying the Earth Puppeteer down onto the floor, the strange woman stood up slowly. It looked as if her body struggled with the command of standing almost as if she was weighed down. She raised her arm and fingers, as if she was calculating who was going to be the deeper threat - the girl who was four years her junior, the weather witch, or the Wolverine with his metal claws unsheathed? Her almost clouded over gaze settled on Logan who was growling low at her. Suddenly he stopped moving and started making heavy choking sounds as his eyes began to roll into the back of his head.

Ororo and Morgan tensed visibly at the sight. The Wolverine was someone to be reckoned with, and him rendered so helpless in mere fractions of a second was definitely unexpected. Storm's eyes began turning milk-white, the atmosphere almost crackling with static as she readied herself. The physics teacher had called upon her own mutation as well, the electric charges in the air already bending to her unspoken will and forming an invisible barrier around her. Gaze trained on the unknown mutant, Morgan dismissed the cool sensation that came with using her powers as she finally registered something familiar. The short-haired female's eyes were cat-like slits, just like Ivy's when her mutation was activated.

"Who are you?" Morgan asked, both suspicious and somewhat afraid at the same time.

The young woman tilted her head to the side slowly, her concentration lost at the question that was aimed at her. The feral gasped for air as he fell to his knees, freed from an invisible iron grasp. The intruder's sea-green eyes were now back to normal, a smirk forming across her mouth.

"Rán." The one word answer came out of her mouth as smooth as silk, the lilt of a fading German accent seeping through.

**A/N: Chapter eight will be posted next Saturday! Please review! –MOTH (Maiden of the Heavens) **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: ****Chapter eight of Borderline is here! Please read and review, as always Certh and I do not own X-Men, just the OCS and the storyline. –Maiden of the Heavens (MOTH) **

Chapter 8

A soft thudding coming from above started filling the entrance hall, growing louder and louder. The telltale sound of bare feet hitting the floor. Sure enough, several figures sidled into view, moving forward to peer down from the first landing railing, all of them in nightwear. The unfamiliar female, apparently called Rán, lifted her gaze away from the three mutants in front of her to that of the other mutants now emerging from their bedrooms. She brushed several locks of damp and still slightly dripping, long back-length dark chocolate hair away from where it clung at her neck. Her eyes shifted away from the curious students to the bald, wheelchair-confined man who was the slowly wheeling toward her. Rán ignored the faint tug at the back of her mind, feeling a slight prickling sensation as dark memories suddenly flashed across her mind, like a movie reel going far too fast even for her to blink.

_"Stay back."_ The telepathic warning filled all of the students minds, including those of Morgan, the now-on-his-feet Wolverine, Storm and even Rán. Charles Xavier moved his chair nearer, to where the wheels were almost close enough to touch the pond-sized puddle.

A smooth, nearly wicked smile flashed across Rán's mouth, and stayed. Even a powerful mutant as strong as Charles Xavier knew just how dangerous she was. Her sea-green eyes fell onto that of the Professor's. She gracefully bent down to gather Ivy into her bare arms, not bothering to register the ungraceful stumble that came to her legs at the added weight, teetering her off balance.

"Why are you here?" Xavier questioned, his eyes showing carefully concealed panic at the state the Earth Puppeteer was in.

"She's nearly at Death's door, or is that not clear?" she stated, a bite of ignorance in her voice.

The Headmaster of the school did not say anything for a moment, mulling over the given answer. Even though it had puzzled him at first, he now came to realize that the newcomer was not responsible for his employee's injuries. Someone else had hurt her so, and the short-haired woman had tried to keep Ivy from further harm. Not speaking, the telepath only gestured for Logan to come forward.

The feral took the earth manipulator from the intruder's arms, and began to carry her toward the medical wing of the institute nearly at a ran. A second of thought later, Morgan decided to go after him. As they left and before anyone could say or do anything, Rán's eyes flashed and became cat-like slits once again. She turned on her heel nearly in a pirouette, the massive blood-stained puddle of water rising at her command and rushing out of the still wide-open foyer doors, Storm shutting them close with a bang from a gust of wind.

"If you will follow me," Xavier said, and headed to his office. Rán followed, the wind witch beside her, the students on the landing above heading back to their beds.

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Logan slowly and carefully laid Ivy onto the steel and icy-cold table in the medical room. The Earth Puppeteer's eyes were fully slid shut by now, breaths barely escaping her. The feral easily and simply tore away the already ruined and mud-colored stained shirt, slash marks still pooling blood, dotting her ribcage and near her bare chest, almost piercing all the way through to the other side.

Morgan frowned deeply at the bloody mess, somewhere in the back of her mind feeling thankful that she was not one to get queasy at the sight of blood. Perhaps it came with having a doctor as a father. Beside her, disinfectant in hand as he started dabbing the slashes without hesitation, Logan suddenly registered that Ivy's wounds were beginning to close of their own accord. Not wasting precious time to ponder whether the earth manipulator actually possessed a healing factor, he quickly carried on with disinfecting the now almost-closed wounds, covering them with gauze and bandaging them before draping a warm blanket over the Botany teacher.

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It was a couple hours before Ivy awoke, to the sound of a machine beeping beside her, showing her terribly weak heart rate. Everything still a blur, she hesitantly let her dark rose-pink eyes drift to that of the dark-blue-skinned mutant whose three furry fingers were brushing the side of her cheek. A rosary was clutched tightly in the other, and his bright golden eyes carefully slid to hers, tears of relief swimming in the orbs.

"You're awake…" he said in a breathy whisper as one of the tears rolled down his cheek, his devil-like tail twitching back and forth almost as if he were a happy dog.

The Earth Puppeteer could only bring herself to nod, and could almost feel herself drifting back to sleep, the sound of a gun shot and the smell of sulfur reaching her as nightmares took her away instead of peaceful dreams.

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Xavier leaned back in his chair while Rán sat on the top of his desk, swinging her bare feet back and forth, almost in a childish manner. She was now wearing an overly large sweatshirt and sweatpants instead of her ruined sundress. She did not even bother to lift her eyes from where they were settled on her lap as the telepath asked her the same question for about the seventh or eighth time. She could not be sure, she had lost count by now. Still in a calm-mannered voice, he asked again. She was beginning to wonder if this man had ever lost patience with anyone.

"What is your real name? The one your parents gave you."

A smile flittered across her mouth, an almost secretive one as she replied, "Aster Dujardin."

The one mutant present in the room other than herself and Xavier twitched visibly in her seat. A glimmer of sheer surprise and a short-lived frown chased across Morgan's features. Aster... she knew the name, and thinking back on the events in the entrance hall, piecing it together with what Ivy had already shared with her, it made sense. But it wasn't supposed to. The tiny frown settled above the bridge of her nose once more.

"How can… Ivy said that…" the twenty-four-year-old could not bring herself to form a coherent sentence, still trying to understand how everything could possibly add up.

"That she killed me," Aster finished and made to hop off the top of the desk, Morgan resigning to nod feebly instead of trusting her voice.

"She did… but Stryker has his ways of not letting someone know what freedom or peace is," the water manipulator continued and got off the desk completely, just as the back window of Professor Xavier's office was blasted to bits by the entrance of a certain mutant. Shards sprayed everywhere, raining down on them. Aster slowly turned from where she was crouched on her feet to a standing position. Pieces of glass in her dark-chocolate hair sparkled like diamonds in the moonlight that had finally been freed by the storm clouds.

Morgan had already shot up from her seat, standing by Professor Xavier's desk, her pose defensive. A familiar cool sensation bubbled in the pit of her stomach as she instantly called upon her mutation, the air all about beginning to charge up. Unseen and unfelt, the electric field surrounding her was amplified, forming a translucent dome that would repel outside offences. Morgan moved closer to the telepath, both herself and the Professor encompassed in the protective field.

Across from them and before she could even get a word out, Aster had been slammed against the wall of the office. The beast in a man's flesh snarled at her, his claws digging into the flesh of her jawline. But there was not any fear in Aster's slightly glazed over sea-green eyes, and she only let the softest of smiles grace her lips as an inhuman growl came from his throat.

"I was wondering when you would get here, darling," she said calmly but Sabertooth did not relinquish the grip he had on her.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Yes, I know I am a day late on updating. I was moving into an apartment all day yesterday with my boyfriend, so I was just too exhausted to post. Anyways, Certh and I once again thank all of you for continued support; we do not own X-Men, just our OCS and the plot line for this story. Enjoy the chapter! –Maiden of the Heavens (MOTH)**

Chapter 9

Storm climbed the stairs to the upper floors of the mansion, both worry and fatigue washing over her. She knew the Wolverine was on the first floor pacing furiously up and down a hallway, trying to kill time as he waited for Professor Xavier to finally come out of his office where he had barricaded himself with Morgan and the strange woman. Charles had requested that neither he nor Ororo stayed at the meeting, explaining that a crowd of people breathing down her neck would probably scare Aster. Morgan, being the youngest and seemingly least dangerous of the lot, was allowed to stay.

So, with nothing else to do, the two adult X-Men had gone to check up on Ivy before heading their separate ways, trying to keep themselves occupied until the Professor called for them.

Interweaving thoughts whirling in her head, the weather witch rounded a corner and came face to face with three anxious seventeen-year-olds.

"What happened? We heard the front doors bang open, and half the floor's up talking about some woman and Ms. Dujardin all covered in blood." It was Rogue who spoke first, her eagerness mirrored in Bobby and Kitty's faces. Storm looked at them, for an instant feeling horribly tired.

"We don't know who she is, yet, but she's clearly related to Ivy," she started. "The Professor's talking to her right now in his office. I'm afraid Ivy had to be taken to the infirmary" - the three teenagers exchanged worried frown at those words - "but she's going to be fine," the white-haired mutant hurried to reassure them. She took in her recently-turned-former students' appearance; all ruffled, barefoot and in pajamas, clearly dozy despite the rush.

"And you'd better get back to your beds, there's nothing more anyone can do."

Nodding silently, the three of them turned on their heel and marched towards their rooms, somewhat disappointed that the action died so quickly. Storm watched at their backs before making her own way up to the third floor and her own bed. All they could do now was wait, but she knew there would be no sleep for her.

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Charles Xavier simply watched Aster and Sabertooth calmly from where he sat, so utterly composed and serene that one would think nothing was out of the ordinary. A notion that was of course far from the truth. The whole room buzzed with tension, and the fragments of broken glass strewn across the floor only added to the ominous feeling.

By the telepath, the twenty-four-year-old physics teacher stared across the study at the feral's back, her frantic heartbeat slowly returning to normal. She had never met him in person, but there was no mistaking even Sabertooth's aura alone had a downright frightening edge. So he had survived his fight with Logan at Liberty Island less than a year ago. The fact that Aster seemed to be associated with him was shocking, and Morgan couldn't quite understand how that could work.

At the moment neither the water manipulator nor Victor paid the Professor and herself any attention, immersed in their never-ending staring contest. Sabertooth's eyes bore into Aster's spring-green, hard and bone-chilling, claws pushing into the delicate skin of her throat.

"You're not leaving." The deep voice was nearly a growl, a threat underlying the four words. The water controller met his cold gaze evenly, she alone knowing what he was referring to, but she didn't reply. Barely a moment later her expression changed dramatically, her eyes darkening and turning into those cat-like slits for just a second. Sudden anger stormed across her face as something inside her clicked.

"Don't hurt my sister again." Her warning brimmed with hot emotion, her eyes smoldering. One corner of Victor's mouth twitched at her unpredictable mood change, and an elongated canine showed as he smirked, gaze fixed on her and flashing dangerously.

"I can't promise anything, doll," he nearly purred as he let a single claw trace her jawline slowly, but the tone had a decisively cutting quality to it, another threat. Aster looked up at him in silence for what felt like an eternity, her angry expression melting into a neutral one, forgetting the other set of claws that almost dug into her flesh. Then, with an abrupt movement she was up on tiptoe, one hand clutching at the sleeve of his long trench-coat, her lips finding his. It was just a rough peck, lasting less than a second before she drew back, but during the sudden proximity Victor's claws had broken the skin.

The small puncture marks turned crimson as Aster steadied herself on her feet, the dark-haired man in front of her still smirking widely to himself. The Water Puppeteer didn't seem to notice the stinging pinpricks on her neck, staring intently past the feral instead, her hand releasing his sleeve and falling to her side.

Victor turned to follow her gaze, remembering they weren't alone. He locked onto the bald man confined in his wheelchair behind his desk, knowing by experience that the pacifist telepath wasn't at all as vulnerable as he looked.

His eyes moved over to the young woman by his left arm, hackles raising in a low, amused chuckle at her quickening pulse and elevated adrenaline. Her face was unfamiliar, but he could easily guess she was one of Xavier's new staff members. And she already knew he was dangerous, that was good.

Watching the pair's interaction only moments ago, Morgan couldn't help wondering about Aster's saneness. That beast of a man had left her sister for dead and excluding that short bout of anger, the water elemental seemed to dismiss the fact. Her time with Stryker had certainly affected her.

Now, the physics teacher looked back at the feral, her musing dissolving instantly under the calculating scrutiny of his stare.

It made her feel fragile; terse alertness wrung a tight knot in her stomach. For some ridiculous reason she was suddenly relieved she had decided to change out of her pajamas and into casual clothes after the water manipulator's appearance – she felt less vulnerable that way.

Victor looked at Xavier once more, as if sensing the telepath was about to make a move. "Don't interfere, old man," he glowered at him, voice low. "This isn't about you or your precious X-Men."

The school's headmaster didn't recoil. "It does concern Ivy," he stated simply. At the feral man's murderous glare and surfacing guttural growl, he went on, "She didn't mean to hurt Aster, it was self-defense. A choice of life and death that still haunts her to this day."

As he spoke he guided his wheelchair from behind the safety of his desk, moving closer to Victor and Aster. Soul-penetrating blue eyes settled on the seething mutant, knowing that he loathed the earth manipulator for practically ending her sister's life all those years ago.

Morgan hesitated as the Professor began wheeling away, a hint of panic flaring in her gut. She had no doubt the telepath could protect himself when it came to it, but the distance between them made _her_feel less secure. Logic not fully agreeing and feet reluctant to move, she was nevertheless compelled to follow him. And so she did, coming to a halt one step behind the wheelchair, warning bells still jingling in her mind, but the shielding force field never failing.

"I want to see my sister," Aster spoke all of a sudden, her voice clear and sincere. Victor only shot her a sideways glance, otherwise saying nothing. Charles Xavier held his peace for some time, assessing the situation.

He turned to the resident physics teacher. "Morgan, would you take them down to the infirmary?"

The young adult stared at him incredulously, not quite believing what was asked of her. Was it really a good idea to let Sabertooth near Ivy a second time? The telepath picked up on her fear, and gave her telepathic reassurance, clear eyes speaking the truth.

"Of course," she replied feebly at last, resolving to trust her former teacher and current employer. If he was so certain that the feral would behave, then she would have to take his word for it. And if anything were to happen, she could always rely on her mutation for help.

The twenty-four-year-old turned on her heel and made to leave, disbanding the force field from around herself and the Professor. Aster and Victor followed her as she went out into the hallway, heading to the elevator that would take them to the mansion's lower levels.

Struggling to face her worries, she fought with herself not to raise a defensive field about her, keeping in practiced readiness instead. But once inside the elevator going down, another kind of anxiety gripped her.

"You're more afraid of a tight space than you are of me," the feral observed smoothly, finding the fact entertaining. Morgan didn't grace him with a response, closing her eyes and attempting to meditate through the descent of the metal box. Finally reaching their destination, she hurried out and into the corridor, making for the infirmary.

The automatic metal doors slid open, allowing them in. Aster swept inside without a moment's hesitation, followed by Morgan. Sabertooth lingered on the threshold, and finally decided it would be easier if he stayed outside the doors. The water manipulator rushed to her younger sister's side, the quiet bleeping of monitoring machines greeting her.

Ivy was asleep, cleaned of all blood and fitted out in a hospital gown. She looked peaceful, and the only foreign article on her person was the IV needle inserted into a hand vein, delivering isotonic solution into her bloodstream. After a quick check with light fingers, Aster was relieved to notice that no wounds were open. She smiled faintly to herself; that meant the healing she had attempted using her powers had worked.

Morgan looked at the Botany teacher, comforted than she was getting better, and then reflexively glanced over her shoulder. Sabertooth hadn't set foot in the infirmary yet; that was somewhat of a relief. The rest of her body following the movement of her head, the twenty-four-year-old faced the door and started making her way outside. Better give Aster some private time with her sister. She wasn't worried about the two of them being alone, she was worried about Victor being in the corridor.

The heavy doors sluiced shut behind her, and she made herself comfortable against a wall, waiting.

Inside, the Water Puppeteer sat gingerly at the edge of Ivy's bed, watching her. A few moments later and as if feeling a familiar presence by her, the earth manipulator's eyes opened ever-so-slowly.

**A/N: Aright, so please leave a review in that gigantic box below, and I will try my very best to keep to the posting schedule. –Maiden of the Heavens (MOTH) **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I have to admit, I was little sad when I saw that we only recived one review for the last chapter. I know that everyone is majorly busy with classes and such, but if you could just drop a line in the review box about how you liked the chapter, Certh and I would really appreciate it. We do not own X-Men, just our OCS and the plot for this story. –MOTH (Maiden of the Heavens) **

Chapter 10

Outside Victor turned and stared at the resident physics teacher for a long moment. She was visibly more relaxed, the fear that had been oozing from her before now almost gone. He averted his gaze as Morgan fidgeted, uncomfortable under that keen look but finally daring to return it. Avoiding her eyes, the feral shifted his attention to the infirmary beyond. He just wanted to drag Aster out and leave. Feeling unusually agitated, he pushed himself upright from where he had reclined against the wall and stood in front of the closed doors. They slid open and stayed that way, but he didn't enter, satisfied with just watching what went on inside.

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Everything was a blur at first, and Ivy blinked several times to clear away the feeling. She looked at her IV-covered hand, seeing two fingers of a very familiar person gently touching her hand with just the tips. Her dark rose-pink eyes then lifted to the figure that sat beside where she lay.  
Gone were was the cruelly chopped duck-tail pixie cut, and back were the long flowing and very loose ringlets. The Earth Puppeteer tried to ignore the burning sensation as the tears welled up at the edge of her eyes, and she sat up far too quickly, ignoring the pain that still lingered. She embraced her sister, breaking down almost automatically as her face met the cottony fabric of the dull gray sweatshirt.

Aster could only stare at her sister. She was not used to this much over-flowing emotion anymore; anything besides murder and how to achieve said goal were now foreign to her. Sea-green eyes glanced down at the shaking and sobbing form that was her little sister as she finally allowed herself to wrap her arms around Ivy. Her ears picking up the almost incoherent words coming from the sobs.

"_Es tut mir leid, Aster, ich hatte keine Wahl_. -I am so sorry, Aster, I didn't have a choice-" Ivy was able to get out in their native tongue.

The water manipulator unwrapped her arms from where they were, and gently pushed her sister's death-gripping embrace away. She wiped the tears away from Ivy's cheeks and the ones that were still leaking from her eyes with the sweatshirt sleeve. She allowed a weak closed-mouth smile to flood across her lips.

"_Ich verzieh man vor langer Zeit, Ivy. Es ist Victor der hat wollte Rache gegen Sie, ich nicht_. -I forgave you a long time ago, Ivy. It is Victor who has wanted revenge against you, not me-"

"Victor?" Ivy questioned, her voice weak and wavering. That was when it all came flooding back to her, and she did not like what she remembered.

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_Her footsteps brushed along the grass that lead toward her greenhouse, the moonlight from the sky above illuminating it and almost making the glass look as if it was glowing. She stepped inside, greeted by the foliage and warm stuffy air. Stiffening, she turned to see a shadowy figure half-hidden by one of the trees she had been trying to grow. Her dark rose-pink eyes became wide, her mouth trying to form words that could not summoned to be spoken by her vocal cords._

_Ivy thought for sure she was going delusional again as Aster stepped out of the shadows, wearing a maize-colored sundress. She began telling her something, and it must have been important, judging by how rabidly she was speaking in German, but the storm that rolled in drowned out her eldest and only sister's words. It nearly shrouded the greenhouse in complete darkness.__  
__Ivy did not even hear him approaching, but then again stalking prey without it being aware was all of the game. She did not even have time to summon the strings from her fingertips before a gasp of pain struggled out of her mouth._

_Blood pooled from her chest and near her ribcage, staining her outfit as her knees nearly buckled out from underneath her. A growl rumbled in her ear, one that sent shivers down her spine as she struggled to summon her mutation. Anything not to die; she had gone through far too much to die now, but it was useless as the world around her around started to fade. The last thing she actually truly heard was Aster's screams of dismay and a rush of water sending her attacker away from her._

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The Earth Puppeteer shook her head to clear away the memory, or what was left of it. The water manipulator stood up from the bed, and did the most caring thing she had done in the past several years. She gently pushed Ivy down so she was lying down again, and tucked her sister in a little, gently pressing a kiss to her hair.

"I need to talk to you later," Aster said; her German accent had faded over time. "It's important."  
She caught Sabertooth glaring at her from the corner of her spring-green eyes and squeezed her sister's hand one more time before leaving the room.

She looked over at Morgan and was not the least bit surprised when Victor grabbed her around the wrist and practically dragged her to the elevator. Apparently, staying was not an option for her. The beast in a man's flesh hauled the water manipulator past the startled twenty-four year-old physics teacher and inside the metal box. Still gripping her wrist so hard that the bones practically broke beneath the skin. She did not even whimper in pain. Staring at the display, Morgan opted to stay where she was.

"You're not leaving, Rán," Sabertooth growled as he pulled her out of the elevator on the first floor and slowly released her wrist. His tongue found the few droplets of blood that still oozed out from the wounds on her neck and a fanged smirk followed when she squirmed ever so slightly.

"I don't want to stay here and be hunted down like a dog," Aster replied bitterly once they made it to the first floor.

She quickly pressed herself against the wall as an almost inhuman roar bellowed in the hallway and Victor was nearly sent flying into the wall at the end of the hall. The man called Wolverine was practically trying to slice him to ribbons, but Sabertooth dodged the swipes easily and the man's steel claws raked the wall instead.

"So you really aren't happy to see me alive?" Victor quipped, chuckling lightly as he dodged another attack from his half-brother.

**A/N: Brotherly love, it never gets old, especially not with Victor and Logan. Leave a review in the box, I will update next Saturday! –Maiden of the Heavens (MOTH) **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Here is chapter eleven of Borderline. Certh and I do not own X-Men, just our OCS. As always, please enjoy and review. –Maiden of the Heavens (MOTH) **

Chapter 11

Logan charged, claws slashing viciously at Sabertooth who once more side-stepped the assault. "You almost killed Ivy." He attacked again, eyes blazing as the merciless swipes he dealt caught the other man's arm and chest.

It hadn't been that difficult to piece together what had happened to the Botany teacher earlier. The smell of Victor Creed was all over her, and even though partly washed away by the rainstorm, it had still clung to her wet clothes and managed to invade his nostrils while he carried her to the infirmary. And those gashes on her body... he couldn't quite remember when or where, but he had certainly seen them before, and knew exactly what they were. The sight had affected him, jolting some part of his subconscious awake, almost bringing buried memories from his forgotten past to the surface.

Presently, Sabertooth's face darkened, but he ignored the pain that came with the Wolverine's claws and lashed forward at him with the ferocity and deadly accuracy of a tiger. Before he could react, Logan was left sporting two sets of deep cuts across his cheek and ribcage, stinging and bleeding. Victor had already distanced himself.

"I had a bone to pick with her," he replied to his half-brother's earlier words, eyes flashing, but made no move to attack again. He had no reason to pick a fight with him at the moment, and was more interested in taking Aster and leaving the mansion, but Logan thought otherwise.

In the blink of an eye he closed the distance between them and with a roar he plunged his metal appendages into Sabertooth's stomach. Victor's claws were instantly lodged into his shoulder, a growl escaping the feral's throat. Logan felt his anger boil as the image of a deathly-pale Ivy lying in the infirmary played in his mind.

When he had realized it was Victor who had been responsible for her current state, he couldn't help but wonder what the Earth Puppeteer had done to deserve his revenge. Truth be told, he didn't know much about her past, apart from the fact that it was painful and she had made Sabertooth's unfortunate acquaintance years ago. But a meeting with Charles Xavier not half an hour ago had changed that.

The Professor had called him and Storm to his office once his talk with the water manipulator had concluded. Upon arrival they found the telepath by himself in an abnormally cold room. The window had no glass except for a few pieces still stuck to the frame, and the curtain that was drawn in front of it to reduce the influx of cool air was swaying in the breeze. Before they could start asking questions the Professor had cut them off, beginning his own account.

He told them who the water elemental really was and what had happened when she and Ivy last met. He mentioned Aster's past with Stryker and her connection to Sabertooth, and why the feral man wanted revenge on the institute's Botany teacher. When he said that Victor had come to the school for Aster, although he admitted he didn't know why the water controller herself had come, Logan had stormed out. The weather witch had stayed to help the headmaster tidy up.

The telepath had said that Aster had been lead down to the infirmary by Morgan, to see Ivy, and Sabertooth had followed. The Wolverine had nearly given into the urge to go there and raise hell, but then decided against it. There was no need to upset the earth manipulator and worsen her state. He waited on the first floor, pacing and fuming.

And currently, driving his adamantium claws deeper into his opponent's flesh, he felt a savage satisfaction that was somewhat unsettling. Sabertooth's elongated fingernails dug into his shoulder ruthlessly, but it wasn't long before both of them found the pain too uncomfortable to endure. They pulled back from each other harshly, cutting skin and kicking as they disentangled themselves. The sheer force of that momentum had them stumble backwards ungracefully, barely keeping their balance. Recollecting himself, Logan made forward again, but a blast of wind exploding in front of him stopped him in his tracks.

"What is this?" Storm's voice floated down to them as she descended the grand staircase in obvious haste, out of habit securing the knot that held her night-robe closed. With a quick glance she took in the scene before her; the almost palpable terseness surrounding Logan and Sabertooth, two predators ready to pounce, and Aster standing to one side, simply watching.

It wasn't more than twenty minutes that the weather controller had gone back to her bedroom for the night after helping Professor Xavier make his office look presentable. As minutes upon minutes ticked by and not a hint of the much desired drowsiness claimed her mind, Storm decided to go down to the kitchen for a cup of relaxing and hopefully sleep-inducing tea. That was when she heard the commotion coming from the first floor, and hurried to see what it was about.

"If you want to go on with this, take it outside. There are kids sleeping in this school," she went on as she placed herself between the two ferals, too spent to question their reasons for fighting, or indeed consider the prudence of her action.

Surprisingly, none of them said anything, only glared at each other. Out of the corner of her eye Storm saw the elevator door slide open to let out a pale Morgan. The expression on the young adult's face became a frown when the sight that greeted her registered, and after several seconds of hesitation she took a few steps forward, absently coming to a halt by Aster. The water manipulator granted her a brief glance and turned her attention back to the three older mutants.

With a grunt, Logan retracted his claws, deciding to call a temporary truce, but his eyes stayed fixed on Sabertooth. Victor seemed to relax just a bit, and disregarding the Wolverine, he walked closer to Aster. "Let's go, doll."

"No." Her reply was curt and definite, leaving no room for arguing. "I need to talk to my sister first." Determined spring-green eyes met the feral's dark, burning ones, but the water controller didn't balk. Victor stared at her long without speaking, his face unreadable. Her denial made things more difficult. He knew what he wanted to talk to her younger sister about, and he didn't like it; she had made up her mind to leave. She wasn't going to, not if he could help it. And he could always find ways to make her stay.

"We leave once you do," he said at last, his tone final. Aster made to nod, but what came out was a yawn she managed to half-hide behind her hand.

"We do have spare bedrooms if you want to rest." Charles Xavier had quietly wheeled by Storm, clear gaze resting on Ivy's older sister, his offer sincere. Victor regarded him almost suspiciously; the man's kindness was vast. Aster looked at the telepath doubtfully, thinking. In all her life, she had never come across such generous benevolence. It seemed too good to be true, but then again, she felt so tired.

"No one will disturb you," the headmaster went on, sensing her uneasiness. After what seemed like ages, the woman nodded slowly, still unsure; by her, Sabertooth huffed his discontent. The Professor gave her a minute smile of encouragement and turned to Storm. Not needing a verbal instruction, the white-haired mutant gestured for Aster to follow her, and the water elemental did, albeit hesitantly.

Victor watched her climb the stairs with disapproval, but after some brief consideration went after her. Professor Xavier followed them with his eyes until they were beyond his field of vision, and then made for the elevator. When Logan and Morgan didn't join him he wished them goodnight and the closing doors separated him from them. Stifling a yawn, the physics teacher offered her own goodnight to Logan and headed up the grand staircase.

The Wolverine watched his fellow X-Men and Charles go to the upper floors with an uneasy mind. Their relaxed attitude considering Sabertooth's presence had been somewhat unnerving, but then again, it was past 2AM, and they couldn't stay on a tight watch for the rest of the night. Plus, he tried to reason with himself, the other feral was only interested in taking Aster and getting out of there as soon as possible.

Knowing that he wasn't going to sleep until Sabertooth had left the mansion, he decided to head down to the infirmary and check up on Ivy again.

Rushing adrenaline and screaming hit his senses as he neared the medical wing, and he all but ran into the infirmary as the automatic doors slid open.

Ivy was flailing wildly in her bed, her face contorted in a mask of terror, the various monitors hooked to her bleeping madly.

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_The electric current surged through her skin. Screams broke from her lips, agonizing and blood-curdling. Her fingers were trying to pry the metal collar off her neck as the current left her body to spasm and twitch in far too much agony to bear while she lay on the floor in complete darkness. The blindfold was over her eyes, and even though she was in too much pain to do anything about it, she tried desperately to crawl out of the way of the roar of anger that reached her ears._

_It was not of any use. Claws dug into the flesh of her stomach, leaving long and painful marks on her skin. Blood pooled down and she screamed again, a mixture of French and German spilling past the red liquid that now bubbled out of her mouth and dripped down her chin. She continued to choke out the pleas in both tongues; why she was not able to form the words in English, she was not positive, but that did not matter now. She was dying and needed to defend herself. Needed to live._

_Even with the blindfold on, she could still feel living earth behind her and she slammed her hand against the wall, the strings attaching to it and forming the spike that she needed. The projectile hit who she thought was Sabertooth in the shoulder and left him to roar in agony. He finally dropped her to the floor and she still found herself lying there, slowly bleeding to death. Tears welled and slipped down her cheeks, mixing with the blood that was still sticky and warm on her face._

_Someone was shaking her roughly, and through the calls of her name, she could also hear grunts of pain._

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Wearily, Ivy opened her eyes, touching her fingers to the wet streaks on her face before shooting upright and feeling for the collar that had been around her neck in the nightmare. She glanced up at the mutant who had saved her from her dark dreams, and her eyes widen in horror. One of the scalpels from the tiny wheeled table was imbedded in the flesh of his shoulder. Blood had already dried onto the skin.

"Logan… I-I didn't mean to…" she started, fresh tears in her eyes, but the feral only tore it out and the wound began closing.

"No harm done, Ivy," he replied easily while the Earth-Puppeteer still looked completely guilt-ridden.

"You have them too, don't you?" she questioned. "The nightmares?"

Wolverine nodded. "Most nights. Sometimes they are not as bad."

He could still see the fear of the dream haunting her, in her eyes and in her face. Pale, but not as much as it had been during her near-death experience. Her hands were shaking a little and tears threatened to spill again, but she held them and instead made her way to get off the bed.

Logan gently laid a hand on Ivy's shoulder. "You shouldn't be moving too quickly."

The earth elemental looked up at him, completely ignoring the tears of pain that were burning at the edges of her eyes. "I am not staying down here."

Her hands were shaking, as was the rest of her body just from using the dead earth that was in the scalpel. "I don't have any way to protect myself."

The Wolverine sighed. He wasn't sure it was the best idea for her to leave the infirmary, considering the blood-loss she had sustained. The intravenous drip probably needed a few more hours to correct that, but he knew it would be no use trying to change her mind. He turned off the system and carefully removed the IV line from her hand, pressing a cotton ball to it as he did and wrapping it with medical tape. He picked her up easily - she was such a light weight - and carried her to the elevator. As the metal box made its way to the fourth floor, he felt her trembling against him, her slender fingers digging into the fabric of the nightshirt he was wearing. The scent of saltwater hit his nose, and he looked down. Even if her dark corkscrew curls hid her face, he could still tell that she was sobbing.

He hardly caught the words as she slipped into an exhausted sleep, even though he didn't quite understand what they meant: "_Il a promis ..._-He promised...-"

Logan made his way to Ivy's bedroom, somehow controlling the seething anger he felt toward Victor and now toward Remy for once again up and leaving her. He laid her down on the bed gently and tucked her into the covers, stepping back quickly as Ivy's mutation suddenly activated in her restless sleep, causing the roots from the plants in her room to begin surrounding her.

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A lone figure slunk noiselessly into the Xavier mansion. Surrounded by complete silence, the man started towards the grand staircase as the night outside began fading. Balancing the task of simultaneously hefting a small suitcase while climbing the flights of stairs, he managed to reach his destination. The bedroom door was shut, but he knew it was unlocked. Releasing the luggage, he rubbed some feel into his sore arm, letting out a relieved breath. A grin tugged at the corners of his mouth, and he reached for the doorknob.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Certh and I would like to thank all of you for the reviews, please keep them coming! We do not X-Men, all Certh and I own are our OCS, and the plot for this the chapter! –Maiden of the Heavens (MOTH) **

Chapter 12

Remy Lebeau carefully opened the door to the Earth Puppeteer's bedroom, only to drop his suitcase down beside the dresser and begin to unbutton his jeans after unknotting and kicking off his boots and socks. A sleepy groan made him shift his gaze from the wall to Ivy's tired face watching him with not fully awake dark rose-pink eyes. One arm was thrown above her head, resting against the pillow, the other working on pulling the covers more securely around her.

A devilish smirk reached his mouth. His leather duster and fedora had already been tossed casually at the end of the bed, the hat resting on the bed knob and the coat nearly on the floor. Thoughts of kissing his girlfriend faded into the worry as the Cajun noticed the gauze on her hand and the ugly faded blue hospital gown she had been wearing. Worry turned to panic.

His jeans forgotten and pooling around his ankles, he got into bed beside her. That was when noticed the cracks in the pottery that held her precious flowers, the dirt that trailed along the covers and pillows before the roots had gone back to their rightful places. It had to have been the nightmares. But would they really driven her so far? Too hurt herself to make them stop?

"_Que s'est-il passé?_-What happened?"

She answered him with a single word, which ended up sounding harsh and cold. "_Rien._-Nothing-"

Gambit gently cupped her face in hands and forced her to look at him. Saddened with guilt forest green eyes met with betrayed filled dark rose pink. "_Ce n'était pas rien, petite fleur._-It wasn't nothing, little flower-"

"_Que t'importe?_-Why do you care?-" Ivy demanded, tears springing to the edges of her eyes. She thought for sure she would have run out of tears by now. She did not want to cry in front of Remy.

"_Je t'aime._-I love you-" He replied and went to press a kiss to her curls, but by the way her body practically recoiled from his touch, he stopped himself.

"_Non, tu n'aimes pas! Si tu m'aimais, Remy, tu ne partais pas tout le temps! -_No, you don't! If you loved me, Remy, you wouldn't be leaving all the time!-" The earth elemental bit out the tears were streaming now.

The Cajun removed his hands from around her face, the tears clinging as they slid down his palms. He looked away from her to the edge of his knees, and the pale green and white checked bedspread. She continued though, even if the questions were difficult to understand through the sniffles and sobs.

"_Pourquoi as-tu__été absent__si longtemps? Pour aller voir Belladonna?_-Why have you been gone so much? To visit Belladonna?-"

Gambit shook his head and looked at her. Her porcelain complexion, which was paler than normal, was streaked with tears. Because of him. A smirk could not help but curl on to his lips when he told her the reason. _"Je vendis notre maison à la Nouvelle Orlèans._-I sold our house in New Orleans-"

Ivy sat up quickly, wincing as pain from her still healing wounds erupted through her body. The shock from the news was too much to her lying down against the pillows. "_Quoi! Pourquoi tu fais ça!_-What! Why would you do that!-" She practically shouted it, her eyes now cutting into a glare again. She had loved that house. It had been a rundown complete fix-me-up when they had bought it, but with their own blood, sweat and tears they had made it into something they could call their own. "_Salaud! Espèce d'idiot!_-Bastard! You idiot!-"

Now Remy could only grin; she only swore when she was extremely angry, normally at him. "_Fils de pute! Je te hais! -_You son of a bitch! I hate you!" And during the word hate was when she had grabbed the pillow and started whacking him with it, with a vengeance. He put his arms to stop it, and eventually grabbed the feather-filled, white-cotton-cloth-covered weapon, still grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"I sold it to stay with you. To stay with you here," he said, and putting the pillow aside he kissed her, loving every moment of her stunned expression.

"To stay with me?" she whispered, too surprised to say anything else but to repeat his last sentence as a question, just to be certain.

"_Oui, ma petite fleur._-Yes, my little flower-" Remy said and kissed her again.

"What am I supposed to do with my summers -our summers- if we don't have a place to live?" she questioned as he settled the pillow under his own head to lie down beside her.

"Remember that flower shop you wanted to buy in town, the one with the built-in fully remolded upstairs apartment that you wanted to own so badly?" He still could not stop smiling as she nodded. "I bought it."

Ivy squealed and giggled in excitement and wrapped her arms around her neck and kissed him. That was before he began to press his fingers along the bandages that were still wrapped around the healing claw marks. She squeezed her eyes shut then as his fingers skimmed the white wrappings, and they were back to the question that had started the argument.

"_Qu'est-il arrivé?"_he asked gently once more, his arms now gently wrapped around the bandages.

Ivy bit her lip, debating whether or not to tell him, but he needed to know. "_Sabertooth m'a attaqué. Il a essayé de me tuer._-Sabertooth attacked me. He tried to kill me-"

She saw his eyes flash black with red pupils, and felt the kinetic energy beginning to surge underneath the bandages. _"Sabertooth... ici?_-Sabertooth... here?-" Remy was livid with rage, not pausing to analyze how and why the feral had chosen to track them now after all those years. He stood from the bed and yanked back up his jeans, buttoning and zipping them close again. He dug his bo staff out from the jacket of his duster; murder was clear in his eyes.

"_Rémy, ne le tues pas_. -Remy, do not kill him-" the earth elemental pleaded. She was getting tired of fighting, getting tired of running. But they had both thought this place was safe, when clearly it wasn't; she knew that now, and Ivy did not want Remy hurt. She did not want him to die. "_Aster m'a sauvée, ma sœur m'a sauvée._-Aster, saved me, my sister saved me-" the Earth-Puppeteer continued to explain as Remy sat down, still clutching his weapon, and looked at her from over his shoulder.

"_Je pensais que ... elle était morte._-I thought…she was dead-"

Ivy shook her head. "_Pas plus. Je ne sais pas comment, mais elle est de nouveau vivant._-Not anymore. I don't know how, but she is alive again-"

Gambit let the information sink in, slowly realizing that there was a good chance he would soon come face to face with Ivy's sister, and possibly even Sabertooth. The latter was enough to make him seethe, but he opted to let the unpleasant thought slide for the time being and lay down beside Ivy, his bo staff between them as they watched the morning sun pool into the room from the window above the bed, hands intertwined. He pressed a kiss to her curls; the question he actually wanted to ask her would have to wait.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

The water manipulator groaned and stretched out the kinks in her back and shoulders, the best she was able to anyway - Sabertooth had his massive burley arm around her like a bear trap. And he was snoring like a freight train, but that had not bothered her for years now. Victor hardly slept and when he did, it was normally after…well that was five days out of the week, so considering things, they both slept pretty good. Aster sighed and let her mutation take over as she was able to force his arm off of her and scoot away from him.

She looked down at the borrowed sweatshirt and sweatpants in disgust - she wanted to shower or bathe. Bathing sounded better. Stretching her arms above her head, she took one last look at her snoring beast before getting off of the bed, the only one that somehow was able to hold both her and Victor.

Aster walked out of the room, her mutation still active as she made her way down the hallway, making her normal spring-green eyes look more sea-green, her pupils cat-like slits. She kept it working until she found the bathroom, which to her satisfaction had a bathtub with built-in jets. The water manipulator removed the sweatshirt and sweatpants, letting them drop to the cool tile floor. She let herself slide into the tub, her powers deactivated for the moment as boiling and bubbling water hit her skin. She winced mostly on reflex as she saw the large scar that ran from the start of her breasts to her abdomen, still pink and bumpy. A matching scar on her back mirrored the first. All from the day that Ivy had killed her. It had been Victor who had given up his blood to help her survive. It was from the useless mutants that she got her new organs. Stryker had brought her back, when she had wanted to stay dead.

It was the sound of the door being opened that dragged her away from fractured memories of pain. Her mutation active once more, she took control of the water boiling and bubbling around her, and aimed it at the intruder, only to hear growling and snarling as the water stopped inches away from Victor's face.

Aster sighed as she stepped out of the tub, water dripping off of her bare flesh and onto the floor. She brought the water back to her, and looked up at the snarling beast in man's flesh. He was holding something in his hand and thrust it at her, still glaring.

They were clothes, more precisely her own. When he was able to get them back here from where her and Victor were staying now, she didn't have a clue. The ripped V-neck caramel-brown, short-sleeved sweatshirt would show more of her chest than she would have deemed proper, but this was Sabertooth. She glared, knowing he grabbed her shorts that were ripped and torn enough to have their own ventilation system. There was a bra in the bundle, but once again he must have "forgotten" to get the lower half of a woman's lower wear. Still glaring at him, she yanked on the clothes over her now dry skin, after removing the bathtub water from both the surface of her skin and hair with her powers. She continued to glare at him as she drained the tub and left the room, padding down the hall barefoot, before she finally turned to talk to him.

He gripped her chin with his claws and then dug into her soft skin to kiss her roughly on the mouth, and to squeeze what was beneath the fading fabric of her light-blue jean shorts, before a word came out.

"Go talk to her now," he growled, not bothering to lick the blood away but using the sleeve of his coat instead.

She knew he was itching to get out of here, and so was she. Shaking her hair free from the collar of the hooded sweatshirt, she continued toward Ivy's room.

Common curtsey seemed to have been left behind with what remained of her as sanity as she simply opened the door. A smirk filtered across the water manipulator's face when she saw the predicament that her little sister was in. Ivy was lying on the bed, the hospital gown pulled all the way off with Remy on top of her, shirtless, the Earth-Puppeteer's pupils in cat-like slits. From what she could tell, Ivy was about to use her power to take off his jeans. Aster leaned in the doorway and cleared her throat, arms across her chest.

"Aster!" Ivy exclaimed, her porcelain skin flaring pink in embarrassment as Remy simply kissed her on the mouth and got off her.

"_Ich muss mit dir reden._-I need to talk to you-" Aster said, her face once again clear of emotions.

"_Ja, gib mir nur eine Minute, um auf der Kleidung zu bekommen._-Yeah, just give me a minute to get on some clothes-" Ivy replied and got up from the bed, scrambling to pull on jeans and an old grey t-shirt over a dark blue bra and matching underwear before yanking on her sandals.

"I'll be right back, darling," the Earth-Puppeteer told the Cajun, kissing him on the cheek before disappearing down the hall with her older sister.

They walked through most of the grounds, side by side and in silence until they were near the entrance of the green house. Ivy opened the door and they walked in. A couple of plants had been knocked down, but it was something that Ivy could fix later. They were surrounded by the muggy smell of soil and the smell of greenery. The older of the two siblings finally sat down on the damp ground, not caring about her jean shorts.

"_Ich möchte, dass du wieder nach Deutschland komm mit mir._-I want you to come back to Germany with me-" she said as if it was the most natural of conversations.

Ivy looked over at her with wide eyes. "Aster… _Ich kann nicht mit dir gehen. Mein Leben ist hier_. -I can't go with you. My life is here-"

Aster's eyes narrowed. "They will never accept us. They will hunt us down like dogs, _kleine Schwester._-little sister-"

The Earth-Puppeteer only shook her head as the water manipulator stood with muddy soil on the butt of her shorts. She turned to leave the greenhouse, but turned to look at her sister over her shoulder. "_Stirb nicht auf mich. -_Do not die on me-_"_

Ivy smiled ever so slightly. "_Nie._-Never.-"

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She stayed in the greenhouse for a while longer, even after her sister had left with Victor Creed. He practically carried Aster from the Institute. Once she finished tidying up her beloved plants for the second time that week, she rubbed the soil onto her old jeans and headed to the mansion and the kitchen. She was greeted by a somewhat drowsy Morgan who had a cup of coffee in her hands, and Logan nursing a beer.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, Certh and I really appreciate it! But let's see if we can reach thirty-two reviews for this chapter…Anyways Certh and I do not own X-Men, just our OCS and the plot for this story. Enjoy and read on! –Maiden of the Heavens (MOTH) **

Chapter 13

"Good morning," both the physics teacher and Wolverine offered. Ivy acknowledged them, returning the greeting and went to the sink to wash her hands from the dirt that still clung to her nails.

"So, Sabertooth dragged your sister off?" Logan asked conversationally, draining his bottle and setting it on the counter-top. Ivy turned to look at him from where she now rummaged in the cupboards. She didn't need to ask how he knew that – his heightened senses had probably picked it up.

"Yes," she answered, opening the fridge and pouring herself a glass of cold juice. "He hadn't even wanted her to come here in the first place." She took a sip, welcoming the cool liquid after the heat of the greenhouse.

"Why?" Morgan joined the conversation, her curiosity piqued. She recalled her violent wake-up call less than half an hour previously, heavy doors slamming shut as Sabertooth practically hauled Aster from the mansion. The bang had risen up even to her bedroom, thanks to the window she always kept open, facing the school's front driveway.

"Because," the earth elemental began explaining, "He holds me responsible for her death all those years ago. Aster has forgiven me, but he hasn't."

Morgan nodded wordlessly in understanding, the cup of coffee in her hands forgotten.

"She's decided to go back to Germany," Ivy continued, "and came to ask me to go with her, but-" she paused, looking around her for a moment "I've already made my life here." The touch of sadness in her face gave way to the smallest upturn of lips.

"Do you think Sabertooth will let her?" Logan voiced his question, doubtful of the answer. He had seen how possessive that animal of a man was of the water manipulator.

"I don't know," Ivy replied frowning. For her sister's sake she hoped he would. There was silence for a few seconds.

"What happened to the 'be right back', _petite_?" a distinct voice came from the kitchen door. They turned to see Remy striding inside. "It's been an hour," the Cajun continued, faking hurt.

"I- I got caught up in my greenhouse," Ivy's cheeks flushed pink as she started apologizing.

"Hmm." Remy was next to her in a flash, staring into her unique eyes. His voice changed into a low, seductive whisper, "Perhaps we can pick up where we left off, later?" He lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her soundly. Ivy merely smiled against his lips.

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A couple of hours later the whole school was buzzing with the previous night's news. Thanks to the small group of kids who had seen Aster in the foyer and some early risers who had witnessed Sabertooth dragging her off that morning, frenzied speculation and theories were spreading through the mansion like wildfire.

Part of the teaching staff, namely Storm and Morgan, busied themselves with setting the truth straight and calming worried minds.

"Sabertooth was here?" a fuming Scott Summers walked briskly up to the nearest adult - Morgan - his voice simmering with emotion. "When were you going to tell me?"

"He didn't come for us, Scott," the twenty-four-year-old didn't flinch at his tone. "And nearly the whole school was asleep. What were we supposed to do? Make an announcement? There was no reason to cause unnecessary panic."

"She is right, Scott." Charles Xavier wheeled beside the X-Men field leader, looking at him with serene eyes. "He didn't come to hurt anyone. I will explain." With that he steered his wheelchair round, motioning for Cyclops to follow him.

Morgan watched them shrink into the distance, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by the events of the previous night. She hadn't really slept well - a constant feeling of unease and alertness had permeated both her wake and fitful bouts of sleep until morning. She doubted Storm or Logan, or even the Professor, had managed to sleep much, if at all.

Her thoughts vanished when she felt a pair of hands wrap around her from behind. Tensing at the contact she turned around quickly, startled. Her expression changed instantly and turned into a grin as she returned the embrace properly.

"I thought you were coming back the day after next!"

Her best friend stood in front of her, a suitcase behind him, a genuine smile reaching his gray eyes. "The last concert got canceled," he provided. "Did anything happen here?" he changed the subject, frowning slightly. "Everyone I passed on my way in seemed a bit... off."

"There _was_ a little situation last night," Morgan began, but was cut off by a friendly holler.

"Hey, Morgan, wanna come shopping with us?" Rogue had paused on her way to the front doors, looking at her expectantly. A small group of girls pooled by her, Kitty, Jubilation Lee and Tabitha Smith among them.

"Thanks, Rogue, but I'll pass this time," the physics teacher smiled at her apologetically.

"OK," the girl conceded, throwing a glance at her former teacher's friend before heading outside.

"So, to cut a long story short," Morgan went back to the sentence she had left unfinished, and began relating the basics.

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She sat on the bed, watching her best friend swap his shirt for a T-shirt. The suitcase stood by the built-in wardrobe, open but otherwise untouched.

"Aren't you supposed to be tired after such a long flight?" Morgan asked, thinking about the exchange they had only a few seconds before.

"I slept on the plane," he replied, running a hand through jagged-cut, dark brown-blond hair. "You are coming?"

Morgan looked down at her sleeveless top and three-quarter-length khakis before answering. "Fine. I guess I could use the exercise."

He gave her a small smile and went to the bedroom door, holding it open for her.

"I should go to the Professor first, get my course requirements," he said as they made down the corridor. Morgan nodded.

Once they had reached their destination, Morgan waited outside the headmaster's office while her best friend entered. Not long afterwards a frustrated-looking Gambit stomped purposefully past her.

"Whoah, what's up?" Her words made him stop, and he turned to her.

"Ivy told me in detail what exactly happened last night," he offered curtly, his eyes flashing red-on-black for a split second. "I feel I want to blow up something."

The earth controller appeared behind him, and linked an arm to his quietly. He looked down at her and his expression shifted, becoming softer. Behind them the door to Professor Xavier's office opened and Morgan felt her best friend come to a halt by her side, red binder in his hands. She turned to him briefly before addressing Remy and Ivy.

"This is Dom, resident music and languages teacher," she made the introductions. "Dom, this is Ivy, the new teacher I told you about, and Remy."

Handshakes and pleasantries exchanged, Dom excused himself and sprinted up the stairs to leave the binder in his room. Morgan spoke again, turning to Gambit. "You wanted to vent? Care to join us in the Danger Room?"

Ivy and Remy shared a look.

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"You've never seen it?" Dom sounded surprised, to say the least. The four of them were walking along a bright corridor in the mansion's lower level, heading to the Danger Room.

"We've heard mentions of it," Ivy replied, "but no-one's really enlightened us further."

"In that case, you'll see for yourselves in a while." The resident music teacher decided to let their imagination run a bit longer.

Scott suddenly appeared in the distance before them, coming from the direction of the garage. A dark oil stain smudged his T-shirt.

"Danger Room?" he ventured as they neared him. They nodded in affirmation. "Mind if I join you?"

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With a flying leap Dom slammed his feet squarely into the drone, knocking it down with a crash. He landed cleanly and immediately spun around to kick a second machine hard into a nearby wall. A few feet away, Ivy faced another, her eyes cat-like slits, but the red laser beam that was trained on her chest never hit its target. The droid began twisting in unnatural ways, its parts folding from the outside in, collapsing upon themselves as the Earth-Puppeteer tampered with the dead earth in the metal.

In the middle of the room Remy planted his staff hard on the floor and used his momentum to pull himself around it, aiming a forceful kick at yet another drone. Touching down he yelled out, 'Duck!' and reached inside his coat pocket, throwing a fuchsia card across the room. Ducking as ordered, Cyclops laid a hand on his visor, a streak of red light missing him. Behind him, the glowing card blew up upon impact, enveloping the offending droid in flames.

Scott got upright in a fluid motion and unleashed his power, the flash of ruby energy burning a hole in a drone's protective armor. It fell in a shower of sparks.

Somewhere to their right Morgan crouched low, avoiding a bright laser beam just in time. Still in a crouching position she threw up a hand, and the nearest drone exploded on the spot, bits of flaming metal raining down. Getting too close for comfort a second one met the same fate.

Suddenly all went quiet, and the metallic whirring stopped. Their surroundings began changing, breaking down to blue fluorescent lines and finally giving way to the shiny, plate-covered interior of the Danger Room.

"I think I like this part of the mansion," Remy commented with a smirk as they made their way out, returning his now-contracted bo-staff to his pocket.

**A/N: Drop a review in the box please! –Maiden of the Heavens (MOTH) **


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Ivy sat on the bed in sweatpants and a tank top, the windows above her bed wide open as she somehow managed to get her hair knotted into a messy bun to keep it out of face while she worked through her schedule for her class. The Earth Puppeteer looked over at Remy as a warm breeze swept into the room, causing his hair to rustle into his face, though he made no move to brush it away. His face was creased with uncertainty and doubt, which made her worry. She thought the training session in the Danger Room had helped them, but then maybe it hadn't. Ivy stuffed the papers that were scrawled with her lesson plans for the semester into the binder, and snapped it shut. She laid a hand on the Cajun's arm, and he glanced over at her. His fingers were curled around something that she could not see, but he was rubbing them over it concernedly.

"What's wrong?" she questioned, and his forest-green eyes dropped to look at the dark blue fabric of his jeans.

"I wanted to ask you something, _Petite Fleur,_" Remy answered and released the hidden object from where it had been concealed.

It was a black velvet box, the top rubbed away a little from his thumbs. He popped the lid to reveal a small silver ring. The garnet in the middle was in the shape of a heart; two leaves shaped around the heart were made of emerald.

Remy cleared his throat, looking like he was about to jump out his skin. It was odd, even for Ivy, to see him so nervous. She looked down at her hands; they were shaking with excitement as he placed the ring on her finger.

"_Deviendras-tu ma femme?_-Become my wife?-" Remy asked in his Cajun-slick French.

Ivy nodded dumbly, awestruck, her heart pounding in her chest, as she finally answered, "_Oui, je deviendrai ton épouse, Remy LeBeau. Qu'est-ce qui t'a pris si longtemps pour demander? -_Yes, I will become your wife, Remy LeBeau. What took you so long to ask?-"

Remy laughed and kissed her. "I needed to wait for just the right moment."

Ivy smiled. "You waited fifteen years for just the right moment?"

The Cajun nodded and kissed the ring on her finger. They were now engaged and she could not be more ecstatic. She glanced down at her phone while Remy pried open her binder to look at her lesson plans, which were not written in English, but in French.

Ivy continued to stare at her phone. She could not call her mother. She was dead after all. She did not know the whereabouts of her father, or her brother, Edmund. And she was pretty positive that Aster would care less about her overly joyous news. Sighing, she kissed Remy and made her way out of her room and down the hall toward the rest of the staff bedrooms, only to see the students, new and old alike, start to flood into the place for the start of Fall classes. It made her nervous just thinking about the fact that she was now a professor, officially. The vibrating and ding of her cellphone drew her out of her thoughts. She looked down at the device and shrugged, deciding to check the text later. Instead she finally knew who she was going to tell. Morgan. She had to share her news with someone, and the young mutant was as close to a friend as she had in this place.

Knocking at her bedroom door, she received no answer. She had thought she would be in her room, resting, what with it being only an hour or so after the training session. After a second knock confirmed that the twenty-four-year-old wasn't in, Ivy decided to continue her search on the first floor, feeling too elated to pass up on the opportunity to share her happiness. It proved fruitless; Morgan wasn't to be found there either. Huffing in defeat, the earth controller considered giving up when she happened to look outside through a window. She paused in her walk and retraced her steps to the door that led to the courtyard, exiting into the cool air. It was indeed Morgan, sitting on a bench near the basketball court, talking animatedly to a blonde girl no more than thirteen years old. Ivy walked slowly closer, absently tuning in to their conversation.

"But I still don't know how, and I'm afraid..." the girl's voice was small, blue eyes staring up at Morgan pleadingly.

The young woman smiled gently. "That's why I'm here, to help," she reassured her. "Now, take a deep breath and close your eyes." As the teenager did so, she went on, "Using your power voluntarily is like moving your arms or legs. You simply think, 'I want to wiggle that finger' and it happens. It's the same with mutation. At first it might be a bit difficult, but then it'll be as easy as breathing." She fell silent, gazing at the girl. "Relax." The word had the weight of an order. "Try not to think about anything; empty your mind, let it go blank." Her voice softened, just as the girl's features became smooth and calm.

"There's a tingling in my fingers," the teenager said in an excited tone, but fought to keep her eyes closed and concentrate.

"That's your power. You're getting in tune with your mutation," her tutor explained. "Stay focused and open your eyes." The thirteen-year-old complied and looked at her with somewhat glassy eyes. "Try to visualize the electricity going from your fingertips into mine." Morgan raised her right hand, fingers stretched out slightly. "You won't hurt me," she added hurriedly, seeing terror contort the girl's face. "You can't, yet," she assured her.

The young mutant was uncertain, and stared at the physics teacher hard before finally holding out a hand tentatively. She brought one index close to Morgan's, and took a breath. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a bluish white spark crackled in the space between their two fingers, connecting them like a sparkling thread. The girl's eyes shone bright with pride.

"You did it, Mel," Morgan echoed her smile and nodded contentedly, seeming unaffected by the amount of electricity that had zapped her skin.

Ivy was only a few paces away from the bench by then, hovering there, not wanting to interrupt them. It was the thirteen-year-old who had noticed her first, and then Morgan took in the look of pure joy on her face.

"Be right back," the physics teacher turned to her young charge, and got up, walking to the earth elemental. "You look like a bundle of sunshine," she greeted her. "What happened?"

Ivy felt she couldn't contain herself. "Remy asked me to marry him."

Morgan found that the smile was contagious. "That's great news. Congratulations." From what she had gathered so far, the two had been a couple for a quite some time. "Have you set a date?"

The Earth-Puppeteer shook her head. "Not yet. I was so excited; I sort of rushed off without planning anything." A blush rose to her cheeks as she explained, but then her cell phone went off. She flipped it open.

Her brows crinkled with confusion. She never thought she would get a text like this from her sister, ever. _**Helft mir**_**-Help me-**Ivy clicked her portable closed and glanced at Morgan, that was until she heard the screams coming from inside the mansion. Screams of anger and terror. The terror from her sister, the anger from Wolverine. Ivy swore and bolted into the hall, several of the planted plants following after her as her mutation activated. She found Logan frozen to the far wall by a block of ice that encased him up to his neck. Aster was on the floor, sprawled on her knees with claw mark scars on her arms, screaming as the flood from the kitchen surrounded her in a protective octopus-like barrier. She was still screaming like a wild animal, clutching her head as tears streamed from her eyes.

Ivy did the only thing her mind could rationally think of at the moment: she sent the plants and dirt from where they squirmed around on the floor and enveloped her sister with them. They tightened around her, and wrapped around Aster's eyes and hands until it was like an earth cocoon. A card infused with kinetic energy hit the block of ice that Logan was trapped in, exploding into shards and freeing him. Remy stood on the last couple steps of the balcony, staff in hand.

Ivy carefully approached her sister, the water elemental still screaming at the top of her lungs. But once the Earth Puppeteer got close enough, she felt her sister's mutation pulling at her heart and at the blood that pumped to it. Remy yanked her back by wrapping her arms around waist, until the sensation of death stopped tugging at her heart.

What could have caused her sister to flee back here, with her mind torn to shreds? Ivy finally made out the words her sister was screaming hysterically.

"_Sie nahmen ihn! Sie nahmen Victor!_-They took him! They took Victor!-"

**A/N: As always please leave a review in the box! -Maiden of the Heavens (MOTH)**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: The plot thickens and the story continues, welcome to chapter fifteen of Borderline! Certh and I would like to thank all of you for the reviews, please keep them coming! Certh and I do not own X-men, just some of the plot for this story and our OCS! Enjoy the chapter! -MOTH (Maiden of the Heavens) **

Chapter 15

Morgan looked at Ivy's retreating back as the woman sped off towards the direction of the screaming, but didn't immediately follow. She glanced back over her shoulder at the young mutant girl waiting for her, and then back to the mansion. When the sound of an explosion joined that of the high-pitched screams, she quickly spun on her heel and hurried to Melissa still sitting on the bench.

"I'll go see what's going on," she provided hastily. "We'll continue later." Then she dashed towards the building.

Dominic, playing basketball with some of the older students, caught up with her. "What was that?" he asked. Morgan shrugged her ignorance.

It wasn't difficult to pinpoint the site of the commotion: broken shards of ice and splashes of water on the floor led them the short way to the corridor just outside the kitchen. There, a drenched Logan was leaning against the wall, trying to catch his breath; Remy had a hand on Ivy's shoulder, eyes still glinting red; and Ivy herself had sunk to her knees some distance away from a massive tangled mess of roots.

On closer inspection, they realized that the green cocoon was shaking violently, and that the screaming was actually coming from inside it.

Before they could ask for further explanations, Charles Xavier approached, a small swarm of curious kids following him. He brought his wheelchair within three feet of the writhing greenery and winced, affected by the mutation of the panicked mutant trapped inside. He looked hard at it, focusing all his energy there, and as if by some magic trick the vines slowed their frantic movements and then stilled altogether. The telepath turned to the earth elemental.

"You can let go now, Ivy. It's quite safe," he said in a placid tone.

Ivy did as requested, the sparkling strings connecting her to the cocoon detracting, the plants and soil settling back into their pots, her pupils expanding to normal size. Aster fell to the floor, her eyes shut and her face peaceful. Next to Morgan, Dominic raised an eyebrow in surprise. Ivy ran to her sister and cradled her in her arms. She turned to Professor Xavier, not concealing her alarm.

"I have only induced artificial sleep and calmed her mind," he explained. "People might have got hurt otherwise. But don't worry, she will wake up in a while."

At that moment the students watching the unfolding scene parted, and Storm and Scott came hurrying down the corridor.

"What's happened?" Cyclops inquired urgently, his forehead creased. Then he took in the sight in front of him for the first time and his confusion deepened. Storm simply looked around without speaking, and her questioning eyes landed on the Professor, waiting.

"I believe I can explain," he said calmly, addressing all the X-Men present. He gazed at the mutant lying on the floor. "But first it would be best if Aster was moved to a bedroom." At his words Ivy got to her feet, and with the help of Remy lifted her sister. As he picked the unconscious mutant in his arms, Charles Xavier spoke again. "Come to my office afterwards."

They nodded and began weaving through the now-dispersing crowd, making for the upper floors. The telepath turned to the lingering students and saw that some had already procured mops and were cleaning the mess of water and ice shards. He smiled. "Thank you," he voiced his appreciation and swerved his wheelchair around, the remaining X-Men following him.

"Who was that?" Dominic asked Morgan in a low voice as they walked. He hadn't expected such dramatic events on his first day back.

"Aster, Ivy's sister," she answered, feeling puzzled as she recalled the mutant's muffled words from within the cocoon. Dominic mouthed a silent, 'Oh' of realisation to himself and said no more. He was eager to listen to what Charles Xavier had to say; he alone seemed to know all facts.

Behind them, Storm noticed Kitty, Rogue, Bobby and Colossus standing at the back of the crowd, looking both curious and somewhat anxious. She understood. "I'll let you know," she promised, knowing what was pressing on their minds. The X-Men were to have a meeting with the headmaster, and they, as X-Men in training, weren't invited. It felt a bit unfair, but, in the bottomline, they werem't officially made X-Men yet.

The four accepted her words mutely, and she went on to catch up with the others.

Remy and Ivy in the meantime had reached the fourth floor, Ivy thinking it best to have her sister in a room near theirs, just in case anything happened. So, they laid her in a bed in the empty bedroom next to their own. The Earth-Puppeteer went next door to find some dry clothes to fit her sister since her own had been drenched when the earth cocoon squeezed around her water bubble. Remy waited outside as she stripped Aster of her wet clothing, dressed her again and dried her hair as best as she could.

Gently Ivy ran her fingers through the short-cropped strands, watching her sister as she slept soundly. After a few moments she smoothed the light sheet around her form and got up, closing the door as she left the room.

"Are you alright, _petite_?" Remy asked, forest-green eyes locked on hers and showing genuine concern. Ivy sighed.

"I've never seen her in such a state," she started, voice thick with emotion. "It really scared me, how her mind seemed to not be her own. What happened to make her like this?" she asked no-one in particular, even though she was beginning to form a theory.

"I think the Professor will provide with an answer to that," Remy replied and, taking her hand in his, began walking to the elevator.

The rest of the X-Men were all assembled in the headmaster's office, waiting for them. On seeing Logan, his hair still wet but otherwise dressed in fresh clothes, Ivy felt a tiny twinge of guilt at what her sister had done to him. She also remembered the claw-marks on Aster's arms, and her feeling was tempered.

"Aster coming back here isn't an accident," Charles Xavier begn unprompted. "Something bad preceded this, something that took a very heavy toll on her mind." No-one interrupted him. "Her fear and distress was so overwhelming that she was practically projecting emotions and thoughts outside her body. Unwittingly, of course, but with enough force to alert me. Her mind was opened wide, and I was able to read her thoughts without even wanting or trying to do so.

"A branch of the government seems to have started apprehending mutants, and they have taken Victor Creed."

Silence. Ivy nodded mentally, her suspicions confirmed.

"Good riddance," Logan didn't try to hide how he felt -and he sounded genuinely relieved- but a stern look from the headmaster silenced him.

"She managed to escape and lose them," he went on, "and came here because the school is the only safe haven she knows of. Plus, her only living relation is here."

"How did she get in?" Dominic inquired. "The alarm and the surveillance camera at the gate..." he left the question unfinished.

"Much like last time," the telepath answered. "She somehow managed to disable the alarm, and from the security footage I've seen she took the camera out with a chunk of ice." He paused. "Try to be understanding," he continued in a soft voice. "Despite her assosiation with Victor Creed, Aster has good in her. She has gone through a lot, both now and in the past, and has difficulty trusting people. Just give her some space and time." He paused again, and then looked at Ivy. "I believe you'll be wanting to be with your sister when she wakes up." He smiled warmly at her.

Appreciating the gesture, and his faith in Aster, the earth controller made her way out of the headmaster's office.

"I still can't understand how someone could stay with Sabertooth willingly," Dominic whispered to Morgan as they headed out. From what she had told him, it seemed almost as if their relationship bordered on love.

Morgan shrugged, not having an answer. It was a mystery to her as well. She found it difficult to believe that said mutant could actually care for someone.

Just then, a shrill scream came from the upper floors. Alarmed, Ivy sprinted to the elevator, Remy at her heels.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Welcome to chapter sixteen of Borderline! Certh and I would like to thank you for your reviews, and to please keep them coming. We do not own X-Men, just our OCS and some of the plot for this story! Enjoy and review! –Maiden of the Heavens (MOTH) **

Chapter 16

Aster a woke with the shrill echo of her own scream still pounding in her ears. Her body was covered in cold sweat, and she quickly wrapped her arms around herself, shaking.

The Water-Manipulator felt her mutation trigger at the sound of feet pounding against the floor, heading toward the room she was in. She stopped her mutation from activating when she noticed that it was sister, standing in the doorway. The younger Dujardin sibling gently hugged her, and wiped away the tears that were slipping down Aster's cheek.

"It wasn't a nightmare… it was real… Ivy…" She stared up at the Earth-Manipulator's dark rose eyes with horror of realization in her own. "They took Victor… They took him and I don't where…" She almost broke into sobs, and Ivy held her close.

Remy leaned outside the door of the room while Ivy tried to console her mentally unstable sister. He glanced up as Charles Xavier wheeled into the rather spacious guest room, and gently placed a hand on Aster's fluffy pajama-bottom-clad knee. The Water-Manipulator tore her gaze from her sister and looked at the telepath.

"You are more than welcome to stay here, Aster." he said with a gently smile.

Aster shook her head, "I don't see why you would want me to. I have done horrible things, _Herr_Xavier."

Charles smiled at her again. "What you did is in the past; there has to be good in you. Not all mutants are purely dark-hearted."

The Water-Manipulator could not believe the faith this man had in strangers, it was astounding. "I will stay, but only until Victor comes to get me."

She glanced back over at her little sister, "I would like to be alone for awhile. My head hurts."

Ivy nodded and followed Professor Xavier to his office. Cyclops was already sitting on the couch in the office, while Wolverine was looking out the window. Dominic and Morgan sat in the chairs beside a wall; Storm remained standing.

"Aster is going through a very difficult time, so I have granted her permission to stay here."

Scott looked at the professor in total disbelief, "She is insane, Professor. What makes you think any of us will be safe with her here?"

Ivy glared daggers at her fellow mutant, while the Professor continued. "She needs to learn to trust people again, Scott. If anything, this is the proper place for her to do so."

The impromptu meeting was soon over, Ivy tagging behind Remy as they decided to head into town with Morgan and Dominic. Aster needed clothes that would actually fit her if she was going to be staying.

It was later in the afternoon with the sun burning low in the sky, that Aster found herself outside, watching a group of younger mutants play basketball. She was sitting under the shade of the tree, nibbling on a box of cheese nips she had found in one of the kitchen cabinets, still wearing the clothes she had borrowed from her sister.

It was the smell of sulfur and the navy-blue smoke that made her stomach roll so badly she nearly tasted the vomit in her throat. She glanced over with sea-green eyes, one hand in the box of cheese nips. She really wished the nauseating ache in her stomach would go away: she had not really been able to keep anything down, save for meat, for the last couple of weeks.

The dark-blue-skinned mutant with pointed elf-like ears, golden orbs, and a devil-like tail smiled at with pointy fangs.

The automatic thought that rang in Aster's head was, _'Shit. The Devil has finally come to drag me to hell.'_Her mutation activated as the strings in her fingertips began to target the blood vessels in the devil-like mutant's neck. Panic flooded into the golden orbs, and he teleported out of range, high up in the tree she was under, leaving more sulfur-smelling smoke behind him and that sound of a gunshot that left the Water-Manipulator's ears ringing.

She glared up icily at the teleporter while Kurt hesitantly waved at her with his three-fingered hand nervously.

_"Hallo…"_he said, and was now hanging upside from his tail like a monkey, so close to Aster that she could almost touch his pointed ears.

It was when he spoke in her native tongue that she deactivated her mutation. "_Du wirst doch nicht um mich in die Hölle ziehen, oder ?_-You're not going to drag me to Hell, are you?-"

Kurt shook his head and plopped down beside her, sitting pretzel style. "I don't think you deserve that, _Fräulein_Aster."

"You know my name, but I don't know yours. That seems unfair, and you don't even know me. Stop trying to save me from the damnation that I know is going to be my fate."

"My name is Kurt Wagner," he replied with a smile as they shook hands. "But I still don't think you deserve to be damned."

Aster gave him a confused expression as she handed him a handful of cheese nips. The teleporter gladly began to munch away on them. "I killed to survive Kurt. I am more monster then I am human. I don't hesitate to kill, I enjoy watching people die at my hand. I am not someone that you can save."

The Water-Manipulator stood up, leaving a rather dumbfounded Kurt with the box of cheese nips. Before Aster could stop herself, she ran into the nearest bathroom and emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet. It was when she heard a pounding at the door, and the concern in Ivy's voice that she knew her sister was back from her shopping spree.

Aster hesitantly opened the door and allowed her sister to the enter the bathroom. She flushed the toilet and sat on the lid, clutching her queasy stomach. When she explained the other symptoms to her sister -the recent headaches, the tiredness, the constant of having to use the restroom for both reliving her stomach and her system- Ivy grabbed her sister by the hand and lead her upstairs and into the joined bathroom of her and Remy's bedroom. Gambit had gone off to go spar with Logan and Scott in the Danger Room.

She dug around in a drawer before handing Aster a closed box and leaving the bathroom to give her sister privacy. She opted to sit on the bed and wait.

It was three minutes later that Aster sat beside her, clutching the pregnancy test so hard she was afraid she would break it. She watched with wide-eyed panic as it came up with a positive pink mark. She was pregnant with Victor Creed's child. What kind of monster could he have spawned in her?


	17. Chapter 17

**Welcome to Chapter seventeen of Borderline, Certh and I would like to thank you all for your reviews! Please keep them coming! As always, Certh and I do not own X-Men, just our OCS and some of the plotline. –Maiden of the Heavens (MOTH) **

Chapter 17

The pregnancy test slipped from Aster's fingers and onto the floor. She clutched her head and a scream sounding as if it belonged to a tortured banshee broke from her mouth. Her sea-green eyes were fogged over, and she continued to scream, curling herself into the fetal position.

She suddenly lunged at her sister like a wild animal. That was until Ivy activated her mutation and the roots from her plants clamped around Aster's wrists with an iron hold. Her sister then hung her head, gasping for air.

"Get this _thing_, this _monster _out of me!" she practically roared as Ivy knelt in front of her and wiped her tear-stained face and the dirt that was now clinging to her face with a tissue.

"Aster calm down…" Ivy crooned, slowly loosening the plant roots that held her.

"But I'm pregnant, Ivy. I'm pregnant with Victor's… with Victor's spawn," Aster whispered hoarsely.

"First off, let's not call the little one 'Victor's spawn'," Ivy suggested as Aster laid her head in the Earth Puppeteer's lap.

"Okay… I have Victor's baby inside of me," Aster replied, and her sister smiled.

"There you go," Ivy encouraged.

"But should I keep it? The baby. How will I get through this without him?"

"I'll help you get through this. And, do you want to keep the baby?" Ivy asked, running her fingers through her sister's extremely loose ringlets.

Aster nodded and laid a hand on her stomach. "I'll keep it. And he or she will have a very loving family, and a daddy who can kill all the people who will break his or her heart."

Ivy nodded. "Uh-huh." She looked over at the door where Remy stood, all sweaty from sparring with Logan and Cyclops.

"Everything's okay," she reassured him as Gambit headed into the bathroom, the shower running. "Everything's okay," she said again, maybe trying to reassure herself this time, as Aster fell asleep with her head still in Ivy's lap.

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Morgan plopped herself onto the rec. room couch with a sigh, leaning her head against the back. "I am so glad this day is over," she muttered. The night was getting darker, and with all that had happened since morning -from trying to calm down spirits in the aftermath of Aster and Sabertooth's leaving, to going shopping, and everything in between- her reserves were spent. "I feel I could sleep for twelve hours straight." She really needed to catch up on her lost hours of rest from the night before.

Beside her Dom faked hurt. "So the agreement is off?"

She opened one eye and looked at him, thinking. "I think I can stay awake until the movie's over. But you deal with the food." She smiled. He nodded and got up, heading to the kitchen. Thirteen-year-old Melissa walked in as he left, looking around.

"I'm sorry we couldn't continue the control session today," Morgan began when the girl glanced at her. "It was my fault, I left you hanging."

"It's alright, Dr. Hemmett," the girl said, spotting a discarded notebook and picking it up. "I saw what happened. The case with that lady was complicated, so it's understandable." She gave her a small grin of reassurance; Morgan mirrored it.

"We're going to watch _Star Wars_. Wanna watch it with us?" the twenty-four-year-old asked.

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It was a little over two hours later that the television screen went black, end credits rolling. About a dozen kids sat around in the rec. room, occupying couches, armchairs and even the floor. They began getting up, some yawning, and made for their rooms. Dom looked at Morgan. She was sleeping, head against the back of the couch, facing him. He turned the TV off and got to his feet, gathering the empty plates and glasses from the coffee table. After returning from the kitchen, he found a young boy still in the rec. room, obviously debating with himself whether or not he should wake the physics teacher up.

"Don't wake her," Dominic whispered in answer to his thoughts, and the boy spun on his heel, leaving the room after offering a hushed 'goodnight'.

"Goodnight," Dom echoed, turning to his friend. Gently he slipped his arms under her shoulders and knees and picked her up, carrying her up to her room.

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The next day dawned uneventful. Around mid-morning a blue car pulled in the circular driveway facing the school's front entrance; a blonde woman and a dark-haired young boy climbed out. The woman smoothed her lavender-colored summer dress and looked around before making for the double doors that stood wide open and, more specifically, the two young adults who sat on the steps. The boy followed behind her.

"Excuse me, could you tell me where the headmaster's office is? He's expecting us," she said. Morgan and Dom paused their conversation and looked up.

"Of course," Dominic replied first and got to his feet. Morgan mimicked him and walked beside him as he motioned for the woman and boy to follow.

"You are teachers here?" the woman inquired as they made their way along halls and corridors.

"Yes, we are." It was Morgan who answered. "I teach physics and Dominic teaches music, French and German."

"And are you -?" the woman left her question unfinished, gesturing with her hands as though suddenly not knowing how to word it.

Morgan realized the corners of her mouth had curved upwards. "Yes, both of us," she provided.

They had reached Professor Xavier's office. Dom knocked and the door promptly swung open, revealing the telepath. "Good day," he greeted the newcomers. "I am Charles Xavier. You must be Wallace," he turned to the boy with a warm smile.

"Yes, sir," the boy replied timidly.

"We will be very glad to have you here if you decide to attend," the telepath went on. "Perhaps Dominic and Morgan could give you a small tour of the mansion while your mother and I talk?" He received a nod for an answer. "Please, come in," he turned to the woman.

"Be good, darling," she called before disappearing inside the room after the telepath. The boy adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose and run a hand through chocolate-brown hair.

"Come on, this place has some nice spots," Dom said amiably. The boy glanced at him with silver-gray eyes and began walking after him.

"So, Wallace, how old are you?" Morgan tried to strike up a conversation.

"Just Wally," he offered. "I'm ten."

"Mmm. Mutations usually trigger during adolescence," she commented, but let the subject drop, realizing that, since everything was obviously so new to him, it might make Wally uncomfortable. "Any siblings?" she asked instead.

"A sister; she's eight," came the response. They passed a large open classroom, the one with many potted plants that Storm usually favored. He gazed at it as they walked by, mesmerized. Going along a wide corridor, he continued to look around him with interest, taking in the paneled walls and green plants and castle-like furnishing. As they rounded a corner into a hall, two boys cut through their path, chasing each other. It seemed that the one in the rear would gain on the other, but suddenly the boy in the lead vanished, reappearing fractions of a second later further away. Wally stopped and gaped at them, blinking.

"My parents decided to contact Professor Xavier after my powers surfaced on the last day of school," he gushed all of a sudden, beginning to walk again. "I- There was a bully trying to shove me into a locker and I sneezed... He went through a door..."

His guides looked at him sympathetically. "You'll be fine here," Dom spoke. "You won't be alone and you'll learn to control it." Seeing Wally look glum, he raised his hand, getting his attention. Colorful spots of light shifted and flickered near his fingers; the ten-year-old grinned.

"You will," Dom reassured him again.

Passing the rec. room which was filled with laughing and playing teenagers, they were soon outside Professor Xavier's office again. The door was still shut. Just then, Ivy appeared and made towards them. Remy had disappeared somewhere in the mansion and Aster was sleeping in after a difficult night.

"This is Ivy," Morgan introduced her. "She's also a teacher."

"My dad had a sister named Ivy," Wally said, but before the earth elemental could greet him properly, the door to the telepath's office opened.

"Goodbye, Mrs. Dujardin," he said as the woman stepped out into the corridor. "I hope to see both of you soon."

"Once again, I am sorry my husband Edmund couldn't be here today, Professor Xavier. Until next time." Acknowledging the three teachers, she called her son to her and made for the exit.

Ivy stared at her retreating back until they disappeared from view, her mind reeling. Dujardin... it could simply be a coincidence, but the boy had looked vaguely familiar. But... Edmund... was it possible?


	18. Chapter 18

**Welcome to chapter eighteen of Borderline, I hope you enjoy mine and Certh's efforts to bring you another fabulous chapter. As always please read and review. –MOTH (Maiden of the Heavens)**

Chapter 18

Ivy found herself curled up, with her chin resting on her knees, her corkscrew curls hiding her shocked features as she stared blankly at the television. It was playing some type of cop show, but she was not paying that much attention to it. Professor Xavier had told her that indeed the young boy was her nephew and that her brother was alive. Alive? The last time she knew of him, he was still in their mother's womb while they had left her on the side of the road and driven away.

Aster had merely confirmed her tattered thoughts, that their parents had not thrown away their brother like they had her, nor had sent Edmund off to boarding school like they had Aster. They had loved him like a treasure, because he was not like his older sisters: he was normal. Ivy sighed and merely shifted her glance to the mutant who was emerging from the navy-blue smoke that smelt like sulfur.

"Kurt…" she said his name in a whisper and noticed the bags he had slung over his shoulder. Traveling bags. "Where are you going?" Worry tugged at her chest; she knew he was just as frightened as she was.

There had been rumors whispered on the streets, behind the walls of the Xavier Institute, that there was a "cure" out for mutants. A cure that would rid of them of their powers and make them normal. But some mutants weren't going to have a "cure" shoved at them. Instead they were going to fight: a war was brewing.

"You know I don't fight, Ivy. Bloodshed isn't the answer," Kurt answered and sat down beside her.

Ivy sighed and looked at her childhood friend. She had shed blood to gain her freedom; if she had to do it again, then she would. "Kurt, you can run if you want to. But I'm staying."

Nightcrawler nodded and hugged her, planting a kiss to her forehead. "Stay safe, Ivy."

Ivy smiled grimly, "You, too, Kurt." She hugged him back, only to get a face full of foul smelling, teleported smoke.

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It was a couple hours later that Gambit found the Earth-Puppeteer curled under the blankets, as if she was trying to hide from the world. Remy raised an eyebrow and joined her under the warmth of the covers without a second thought.

"_Petite_, why are you hidin' under the covers? Do I have to call ya _petite tortue_ –little turtle– now?" he questioned, affectionately tugging on her curls.

"_Non_. I'm thinking…" Ivy replied and curled her fingers into the fabric of his button-down shirt. "Do we have to keep fighting?"

Remy coiled his fingers into her hair. "I think we've been runnin' for far too long, _Petite Fleur_…"

Ivy nodded and buried her face into the crook of his neck. Why did he always have to be right?

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Aster made her way to Charles's office nervously, gnawing on beef jerky on her way. Meat seemed to be the only food source she was able to keep down. She lightly knocked on the door, waiting for Xavier to grant her permission to enter before she went in.

The telepath smiled kindly at her as the Water-Puppeteer sat down opposite him. Her loose ringlets were weaved back into a fishtail braid, thanks to her sister's boredom, and instead of wearing her sister's pajamas, she now donned a crystal-blue tunic and onyx black leggings with matching boots. She nibbled on the jerky some more before she could find the courage to talk to the wheelchair-bound mutant. She would never understand how he could be so patient.

"I have something I need to tell you, _Herr_ Xavier," she said quietly.

"You have no need to be nervous, Aster," the telepath reassured her.

"I am pregnant with Victor's child…" she replied staring at her lap.

The silence that followed was long and deafening. Visibly shocked at first, the school's headmaster had now regained his composure and gazed at the water elemental without uttering a word. Of all things, this was the last he had expected to hear. _But this may prove that Victor Creed can indeed care for someone else. Deep inside, he still has human emotions,_ the logical and compassionate part of himself reasoned. And Aster was probably worried that the baby would be some kind of monster.

He nodded his head slowly. "I understand your fear," he addressed Aster out loud. "No matter who the father is, however, this child you carry is innocent, blameless of his or her parents' misdeeds. It is you who will shape his or her character." He paused and studied the young woman in front of him closely; when she looked up at him with clear eyes, he understood. "Wanting to keep this baby is not a wrong decision," he said kindly. He felt relief radiate from Aster as the hint of a grin fought to turn the corners of her mouth upward.

After her conversation with the telepath, the Water-Manipulator felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She found herself wandering aimlessly in the school meant for mutants until she was outside in the courtyard. She felt her mutation tugging to power, the water around starting to bubble up from the grass below her feet which was crinkling to a dry and crisp brown. With her pupils turned to cat-like slits, Aster quickly turned on her booted heel, the water following her movements and wrapping around her like a snake from her collarbone to her ankles. The water from the greenery suddenly splashed around her feet, and her eyes switched from power-crazed to large and sparkling with both shock and relief.

His name escaped her lips before she could stop herself, "Victor!"

The beast in man's flesh easily hefted the Water-Manipulator into his arms and held her to him, breathing in her scent.

"I was so scared… I-I thought…" Aster could not even bring herself to finish her sentence as tears dared to well up at the edge of her eyes and she wrapped her arms around his large neck.

"Did you really think those pathetic humans could kill me, Doll?" Victor growled into the crook of her neck.

"No, of course not." Aster shook her head and found herself gripping his cheeks with her hands. She kissed him roughly on the mouth until both their lips were puckered from it. "I have something that I need to tell you."

Victor's face scrunched in confusion, and then he waited for her to speak, but instead she bit her bottom lip nervously. "I don't have all day…" he growled low, nearly threatening.

"_Ich bin schwanger_…-I'm pregnant-" the Water-Manipulator breathed, leaving Victor's onyx black eyes to darken with lack of trust. "The child is yours… how could you think I would betray you with someone else, after all you have done for me?" Aster continued, her form shaking slightly with her own fear.

"But you came here for protection?" Victor questioned as he set Aster back on her feet, sniffing the air slightly and snarling low. His eyes narrowed as the mutant codenamed Vector slowly approached them.

The twenty-four-year-old stiffened momentarily, startled by the angry glare directed her way, but held both hands up in an appeasing gesture. She met Sabertooth's stare levelly and then dropped her gaze as she came to a level with the two mutants, walking past them without speaking. She could feel the feral's hard eyes follow her until she stepped inside the safety of the school's walls.

She continued on her way, thinking back on the scene she had unwittingly interrupted. Victor Creed showing up wasn't so surprising, she decided: she had heard tell that the man was difficult to hold in captivity for long, and Aster was the reason of his coming back to the Institute. The fact that Aster was pregnant with his child, however... that _was_ surprising news. Morgan could have never imagined that Sabertooth would be able to feel actual love for someone, much less be a caring father, but he and the water elemental made an unusual pair – it was possible they did bring out the best in each other. The physics teacher decided she would keep what she had accidentally heard to herself: it had been a private conversation after all and did not concern her.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Truth be told, I am kind of sad to see this story coming to a close, but I am also happy at the same time because that means that I can finally start writing the story with Ivy and Aster happily married with their husbands. Certh and I only own some of the plot, and our OCs. Please enjoy the chapter, and leave a review! -MOTH**

Chapter 19

Charles Xavier sat watching the school grounds below him, his thoughts miles away and his face troubled.

"Are you well, Professor?"

The voice brought him back to the present and he turned his head to see Storm standing beside him.

"I am worried, Ororo," he answered truthfully. "All these rumors about this serum that can suppress the X-gene... Many uncomfortable with their being mutants will want to try it; many will react saying it's an attempt of the government to force this 'cure' on mutants, to wipe mutants from the face of the Earth. Little by little, discontent is rising." He fell silent.

Storm looked at him, thinking. It was very true that the rumors had caused fear and would cause even more unrest. Nightcrawler, for one thing, had left in order to avoid – as he explained – a potential battle.

"We still have no actual proof about the existence of such a serum, though," she said. "All we have is only whispers. And they may be just that – rumors."

The telepath regarded her pensively. "You are right," he agreed. "There is no reason to cause unfounded alarm among the students." He gazed out over the grounds again. "Have you seen Scott?" he changed the subject, a small frown creasing his forehead.

The weather controller thought for a moment, and her expression gradually mirrored that of the headmaster. "No, I haven't seen him all day," she realized. "Come to think of it, his door was locked when I went to ask him something this morning, and none of the students I ran into have seen him since." She frowned. "His car and his bike are here, though."

Charles Xavier looked as if a worrying suspicion had just been confirmed, but didn't speak immediately.

Ororo was quick to catch the shift in his mood. "Do you think something's wrong?" she asked.

The telepath let out a heavy breath. "I think Scott's breaking down again," he replied. "He seemed to be recovering well from Jean's death, but there had always been something dark beneath the surface. I guess he hasn't moved on as we had all thought."

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"Nightcrawler's really gone then?"

Dominic looked over at Logan sitting next to him. "Yes," he answered. "He left this morning."

The blue mutant had been uneasy ever since the first whispers about a possible escalation to war between mutants and humans had been heard. And he had often said it was against his nature to fight if it came to that.

"Do you think he'll ever come back?" Morgan asked no-one in particular.

"He might," Dominic speculated, "when there's no longer a threat of violence."

Wolverine huffed. "He could've still stayed," he pointed out. "No-one would've forced him to fight."

The rec. room was emptying. Morgan reached for the remote control to turn off the television since no-one was watching. "He did what he thought was best," she said. "Not all people react the same way to certain situations." She didn't like the action Kurt had taken, but it was his choice after all.

"Running's not a solution," Logan emphasized.

"No, it's not," Dominic agreed.

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Aster found herself sitting in the guest bedroom that she and Victor had shared once before. He was pacing back and forth like a caged animal. He would look up at her, they would lock eyes for a moment and then he would go back to pacing, mumbling and growling.

The Water-Manipulator found herself to be rather bored with his antics and tried to occupy herself with cleaning her fingernails of invisible dirt. When even the effort of that did not stop her boredom, she threw a pillow at the beast in man's clothing causing him lunge at her growling and snarling, pinning her to the bed with both his weight and strength.

Aster smiled a little, kissed him and started giggling.

Victor titled his head and then snarled; he wrapped his hand around her throat and began to squeeze the air from her before he remembered that she was pregnant with his child. He slowly released his hold but did not get off of her.

"Are you nervous about becoming a Papa?" Aster was still giggling.

Victor growled out a 'No', but even Aster could feel his heart pounding in his chest like a drum. "You're just as nervous as I am, _meine grobe katze_. Admit it…"

The beast in man's clothing growled another word that could have sounded like 'Maybe', but the Water elemental could not be certain. He was an assassin, a blood thirsty killer. He had been a brother, a protector. But he never been a father, he had never had to raise a child. A child that was his own, half of Aster and half of himself, a child that could be terribly mentally unstable and a bloodthirsty animal. An animal that maybe he and Aster might not be able to handle.

He shook his head and gently nicked the skin of her cheek with his claws and then slowly licked the blood away. He nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. "We'll get through this, _meine grobe katze. Ich verspreche_. –My big kitty. I promise.-"

Sabertooth let a sigh of relief and smiled broadly, fangs and all, before kissing Aster and then lifting up her shirt to kiss her stomach.

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Ivy watched with bitter satisfaction as the robot crumbled before her like an aluminum can. She wiped the sweat that dripped down away from her eyes with back of her hand. "End simulation," she said loudly, her voice echoing throughout as the Danger Room returned to normal.

She made her way back to her bedroom in sky-blue tank top and grey sweatpants. As she opened the door, she found Remy sitting on the bed playing solitaire. He looked up at her and smiled. His fedora was resting on a bedpost, his leather duster lying across a chair.

She peeled off her sweaty clothing and started up the shower, and moments later Remy joined her in the bathroom. They merged together in the shower; Ivy rested her face into Gambit's chest, while he massaged shampoo into her dark chocolate corkscrew curls.

She looked up at him and kissed him as the shampoo rinsed away. "Aster is pregnant, _mon coeur._"

Gambit raised an eyebrow. "Is this good news, _petite fleur?_"

"_Je suppose que oui…_-I guess...-" Ivy shrugged and grabbed for the soap that smelled of lavender.

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The Earth Elemental stayed a lot longer in the shower after Remy had retreated to go join in a game of poker with some of the younger residents of the school. The water pounded against her skull, but she did not find any comfort in its warmth. Sighing in defeat, she emerged from the shower and went into her bedroom to throw a jammie shirt and a pair of plaid pajama bottoms.

She made her way downstairs and into the cooling air of outside before running toward the sanctuary of her greenhouse. She needed to time to think. When she made it inside the greenhouse, she found herself dropping to her knees and breaking into sobs. Why did her whole life now seem to be in ruins once more?  
Kurt had gone. The quiet life she had settled into was being disturbed by rumors of possible war. Her sister was expecting the child of a man with a violent past. And perhaps worst of all, even though Aster was here now, Ivy knew she would sooner or later leave: she was set on returning to Germany, and the Earth-Manipulator was almost certain she would not be able to dissuade her. She had found her sister after all those years, only to lose her again.

Wrapped up in her thoughts as she was, Ivy didn't hear the greenhouse door open, or feel the presence hovering over her. She only looked up when she felt the hand on her shoulder, her eyes almost becoming cat-like slits reflexively, but relaxed when she came face to face with a frowning Wolverine. She stared at him for a moment, the tears on her cheeks forgotten, when something inside her burst again.

"Kurt's gone," she sobbed, her sorrow pouring out once more, "and Aster will go back to Germany... All because of that _cure_." There was bitterness in her voice, and frustration. "And what if the school is attacked..." she trailed off, not knowing how to put her thought into suitable words.

Logan squeezed her shoulder. "There's always a chance they will return," he said; although, personally, he would be more content if Aster returning to Germany meant Sabertooth gone for good. "And all that about a cure is just rumors – nothing's certain yet. But _if _the school is attacked, we will be ready and fight for what is ours." He knew what worried Ivy: she was afraid that if Xavier's was attacked, she would lose her safe haven again.

The Earth elemental looked up at him and cracked a smile.

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"All this speculating does no good. I wish we knew for sure whether that serum exists or not." Morgan stared into her mug. The theories born of the uncertainty could be wild and frightening and did in no way help with avoiding rising panic among people.

Standing at the kitchen island beside her, Storm stirred the contents of her own cup with a teaspoon. "We all do," she said. "Even if it does exist, there's always a chance things won't be as bad as some make them sound." Many whispers suggested that the serum would be actually forced on mutants and that was what gave birth to the rumors of conflict.

"Let's hope so," Morgan agreed. All that importance attached to mere hearsay and people getting so worked-up over unconfirmed words suddenly felt like an incredibly childish way to confront the situation. They would deal with whatever came when it did and when they actually knew what they were up against.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough," Dom put in from a seat by Morgan.

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Ivy made her way back inside to the air conditioning of Xavier's Institute. The sudden rush of cold air sent a shiver down her spine. The kitchen was almost silent as she walked in, only to find her sister, making two mugs of hot chocolate, plopping four mini-marshmellows into her mug. Sea-green eyes met with dark rose pink, a smile was gently playing to unfold on the Earth Elemental's older sister's mouth. "_Moten Marshmallows? –Want marshmallows-"_

Ivy shrugged, "_Warum nicht?-_Why not-"

"_Wie viele? –_How many-" Aster reached her hand into the already open bag some of the marshmallows plopping onto the floor without a sound.

Her younger sister smiled. "Same as you, four."

Aster plopped them into steaming mug, little splashes of hot chocolate spilling out onto the counter. Both sisters blew the steam away from the mugs before sipping the warm liquid into their mouths. Ivy sat her mug down, the two of them were sitting on the island of the kitchen. The only sound now was the whirring of the air conditioning chugging cool air throughout the Institute.

"You're leaving for Germany, aren't you?" the youngest Dujardin sister found herself asking, holding the mug in her hands now, the warmth seeping into her palms.

Aster nodded. "Yes, we are going to move to Leipzig." The Water Elemental glanced over at her sister, "Are you and Remy going as well."

Ivy could not believe this, but she found herself nodding just as her sister had moments before. "Yes, back to New Orleans. I can't take fighting anymore, Aster. I think that Remy finally understands that. We both need some what peaceful lives. Away from the people that want to try to kill us, too much blood has already been killed. They are already trying to force a cure upon our kind, and I don't want anything to with it. Remy and I will be moving back to where we first found paradise. I think it is for the best, I am so tired of fighting, Aster. I am just so tired of all of it."

Aster gently hugged her sister, and placed a kiss to her curls. "I will keep in touch. Send you pictures through email. I will not lose you again, little sister. Don't you dare die on me."

A soft smile graced Ivy's lips. She kissed her sister back on the cheek. "I won't. Don't you dare die on me either."

Aster drained the rest of her cup and set it on the sink, washing the hot chocolate from her face, before she left the kitchen.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: I am a little sad to say, but this is end of Borderline. I would like to thank all of you, who supported Certh and I by reviewing/favoriting/and putting this story on their alert this. It meant a lot to us to know that people were interested in our story. So, please if you would not mind, leave us one last review for this story. -Maiden of the Heavens (MOTH)**

Chapter 20

Ivy Dujardin, Earth Elemental and formally a Botany Professor at Charles Xavier's Institute let out a sigh. Well, she couldn't exactly call herself a formal professor, since she had never even started her job at the Institute to begin with. But Charles had been there for her when she needed him most, and that was what mattered.

She taped down the last box that she had shut, _Livres _(Books) printed on the side in hand in big and bold lettering. The room she had once occupied would now be vacant for a new teacher, since she would be leaving. But her teaching degree would not be a total loss: she would be teaching botany at Newcomb College in New Orleans. The Earth Elemental let out a sigh and triple-checked her checklist that she had written down in a notebook: she had everything including her carry-on for the flight, and the list of her sister's new email address and cellphone number. Along with all that she had also forced Logan to learn how to use the computer and to get an email address – she was not going to fall out of the touch with him if she could help it.

"This your last box, corkscrew?" Wolverine asked, lifting the heavy box into his arms as if it weighed nothing at all.

Ivy could only nod as she followed him out and down the stairs. She hugged Charles Xavier and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for everything, _Monsieur _Xavier." She could feel tears prickling at the edge of her dark rose-pink eyes, but this was for the best and she knew it. Charles smiled softly in reply.

Storm hugged Ivy. "If you ever need anything…"

"I know…I will call." The earth elemental smiled at the weather witch.

Gambit walked inside the institute and handed an umbrella to his fiancée. "_Tu vas avoir besoin de ceci, petite fleur. Il pleut des cordes là-bas._-You're going to need this, little flower. It is raining cats and dogs out there-"

Ivy smiled and gently kissed her fiancé on the cheek. She opened up the umbrella as they went through the double doors of the Xavier Institute and into the purple vehicle that Ivy had dubbed _Le raisin mourir_, so long ago, shocked that the old rust bucket was still working. She sat down in the front seat, the back stuffed with all of the belongings they would be bringing back with them to New Orleans. She waved goodbye to the X-Men as the car chugged down the driveway and through the wrought-iron gate. Ivy knew that her and Gambit's leaving was for the best. They had seen far too much bloodshed and horror already, what they needed now was a little bit of normalcy.

The headmaster and his X-Men followed the car with their eyes until it was out of sight. Behind and above them, many of the school's younger inhabitants watched silently from their windows.

"It would have been fun to have a Botany teacher," Morgan quipped after the long silence. "We would have been the only secondary school to boast that," she continued lightly.

A fleeting grin tugged at the corner's of the telepath's mouth, but his tone was serious when he spoke: "Ivy and Remy have been through so much; their staying here as X-Men would not give them the peace they want."

"Still, that serum is only a rumor," Dominic pointed out, breaking the thoughtful quiet that ensued. "But I guess there's always the possible future unrest to consider," he went on before anyone had the chance to reply.

"They deserve a normal life," Storm said.

"I don't think I could ever leave the Institute, whatever happens," the physics teacher mused.

Logan glanced at her. "It's different for you," he said. "You've spent most of your life here, you're attached to the place." He looked at Storm next to him, at the Professor and Dom and at the school grounds stretching in front of him. "But I don't think I'd like to leave either."

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The airport was loud and noisy. Ivy made her through the crowds of people, going this way and that like ants. Nothing but busy, busy, busy, and on the go. Ivy suppressed a yawn and struggled her way toward Gambit, who was flipping through a deck of playing cards. What had made her think that the earliest flight would be the best idea? She had received a text from her sister the night before - she and Sabertooth were on their way to Germany now. She hoped that Aster would be alright and would not relapse because of the torture that William Stryker had put her through. Her sister needed a safe place just as much as she did. Yes, Ivy still had nightmares, and yes, she would wake up in a fog, after Remy would find her in the closet screaming in fear and clawing at her face as if the visor that had blocked her vision was still there. The elemental stretched out the kinks in her muscles and found Gambit wrapping an arm around her shoulder and kissing her curls.

"_Tu est bien__?_ –You okay?-" Remy questioned, looking at her with concern creasing his features, his hat dipped slightly forward. There was still rain clinging to his leather duster, his bo-staff tucked deeply into the pockets of it.

A smile quirked Ivy's face. "_Oui, je suis juste fatiguée._-Yes, I am just tired-"

"_Tu peux dormir __dans l'avion.__ –_You can sleep on the plane.-" he said, the cards shuffling in his hands with remarkable speed.

The Earth-Puppeteer shrugged. "___Peut-être, si je suis chanceux._–Maybe, if I am lucky.-"

Gambit tucked away the deck of cards into one of his duster's inner pockets and grabbed Ivy's hand in his, just as the plane that was going to be taking them to New Orleans was announced over the intercom that passengers could now board.

Gambit kissed his fiancée on the cheek, as they formed in with the line of the other people waiting, their tickets in hand. "Time to start our new life, _petite fleur._"

Ivy could only smile in reply, truth be told she was mixture of excitement and nervousness. She could not wait to get back to Louisiana.

**A/N: I would like to say two final things before you, the readers, go off to read some other amazing X-Men story. I am continuing Ivy and Remy's life in the fourth story to the series Aces and Diamonds, it is going to be called The Magic of New Orleans. I am hoping to have to it posted by the start of July. Along with a story for Logan, featuring X-23 and Rouge called Fatherly Instinct which will be up and posted the week after the first chapter of the Magic of New Orleans as been posted. So, if you are interested in either story or both, please put me on your author alert list. Also, if you love Lord of the Rings, please go read and review Certh's amazing stories, they are beautifully written. Hopefully I will see some familiar reviewers in July.**

**Forever Yours,**

**Maiden of the Heavens (MOTH) **


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